H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Stock Price Target Cut by Citigroup

H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) had its price objective cut by research analysts at Citigroup from $75.00 to $63.00 in a research report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock. Citigroup’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 26.63% from the stock’s current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $67.00 target price on H. B. Fuller in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen downgraded H. B. Fuller from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Weiss Ratings lowered H. B. Fuller from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. UBS Group set a $69.00 price objective on H. B. Fuller in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered H. B. Fuller from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.62.

H. B. Fuller Price Performance

FUL stock opened at $49.75 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.25. The stock has a market cap of $2.68 billion, a PE ratio of 13.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.97. H. B. Fuller has a one year low of $46.70 and a one year high of $68.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.82 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.05. H. B. Fuller had a net margin of 5.56% and a return on equity of 12.65%. The firm had revenue of $938.17 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $945.59 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.26 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that H. B. Fuller will post 4.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at H. B. Fuller

In other H. B. Fuller news, VP Nathan Weaver sold 9,561 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.06, for a total transaction of $593,355.66. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 11,739 shares in the company, valued at $728,522.34. This represents a 44.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.83% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of FUL. Ellevest Inc. increased its position in shares of H. B. Fuller by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 3,626 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of H. B. Fuller by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,657 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $634,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of H. B. Fuller by 85.6% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,034 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of H. B. Fuller by 6.3% during the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 8,362 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $516,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of H. B. Fuller by 432.9% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 778 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 632 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.93% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting H. B. Fuller

Here are the key news stories impacting H. B. Fuller this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Activist investor Ancora reportedly returned with an increased all-cash offer of approximately $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion for H. B. Fuller’s BAS unit, with financing support from Fortress. A higher bid could highlight the value of the business, create a potential source of proceeds for debt reduction or shareholder returns, and increase pressure on management to evaluate strategic alternatives. Activist Ancora Comes Back With Bigger Bid For H.B. Fuller Unit
• Positive Sentiment: H. B. Fuller’s earnings-call discussion emphasized margin strength, which may reassure investors that profitability is holding up despite operating and market pressures. The company previously reported quarterly EPS above expectations and year-over-year revenue growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank lowered its price target to $62 from $72 but maintained a Buy rating. JPMorgan reduced its target to $66 from $67 while retaining an Overweight rating, and Citi cut its target to $63 from $75 while keeping a Buy rating. Despite the reductions, all three targets imply substantial potential upside from the recent trading level.
• Neutral Sentiment: R. Jeffrey Bailly, a former UFP Technologies chief executive, was elected to H. B. Fuller’s board, while Ruth Kimmelshue resigned. The leadership change could add relevant operating expertise, but its ultimate effect will depend on how the reconstituted board addresses strategic and activist demands. H.B. Fuller Board Changes
• Negative Sentiment: The broad analyst target reductions suggest that expectations for H. B. Fuller’s near-term earnings, industry conditions or valuation have become more cautious, even though analysts continue to recommend the stock.

H. B. Fuller Company Profile

H.B. Fuller Company (NYSE: FUL) develops and manufactures specialty adhesives, sealants and other chemical-based products used in industrial and commercial applications. Its solutions help customers bond, seal, coat and assemble materials across a range of products and manufacturing processes.

The company serves markets including packaging, hygiene and disposable products, construction, transportation, electronics, durable assembly, woodworking, flooring, composites and renewable energy.