Kennedy Capital Management LLC Cuts Position in H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) by 7.8% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 75,461 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 6,390 shares during the quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC’s holdings in H.B. Fuller were worth $6,017,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in FUL. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in H.B. Fuller during the 1st quarter valued at about $79,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in H.B. Fuller by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 45,152 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,600,000 after acquiring an additional 4,077 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. purchased a new position in H.B. Fuller during the 1st quarter valued at about $773,000. Security National Bank of SO Dak purchased a new position in H.B. Fuller during the 4th quarter valued at about $236,000. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its holdings in H.B. Fuller by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 11,353 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $924,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.93% of the company’s stock.

H.B. Fuller Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE FUL traded up $0.77 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $86.66. 24,681 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 312,996. The company has a market capitalization of $4.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.44. H.B. Fuller has a 52-week low of $64.64 and a 52-week high of $86.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $79.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $78.57.

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $917.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $914.22 million. H.B. Fuller had a net margin of 4.67% and a return on equity of 13.33%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.93 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that H.B. Fuller will post 4.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H.B. Fuller Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be given a $0.2225 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 31st. This is a boost from H.B. Fuller’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. H.B. Fuller’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Heather Campe sold 23,696 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.66, for a total value of $1,958,711.36. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,631,873.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of H.B. Fuller from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, H.B. Fuller presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $92.75.

H.B. Fuller Profile

H.B. Fuller Company, together with its subsidiaries, formulates, manufactures, and markets adhesives, sealants, coatings, polymers, tapes, encapsulants, additives, and other specialty chemical products. It operates through three segments: Hygiene, Health and Consumable Adhesives; Engineering Adhesives; and Construction Adhesives.