H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) Short Interest Down 6.2% in October

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,210,000 shares, a drop of 6.2% from the September 30th total of 1,290,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 279,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.3 days.

H.B. Fuller Stock Performance

FUL stock traded down $0.28 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $72.90. The company had a trading volume of 45,241 shares, compared to its average volume of 302,625. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.98 billion, a PE ratio of 22.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $79.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.28. H.B. Fuller has a fifty-two week low of $65.42 and a fifty-two week high of $87.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10.

H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $917.93 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $944.04 million. H.B. Fuller had a net margin of 5.15% and a return on equity of 13.39%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.06 EPS. Analysts anticipate that H.B. Fuller will post 4.17 earnings per share for the current year.

H.B. Fuller Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 17th were given a dividend of $0.2225 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 17th. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.22%. H.B. Fuller’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of H.B. Fuller from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th.

Institutional Trading of H.B. Fuller

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of H.B. Fuller by 9.9% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 290,005 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $22,319,000 after purchasing an additional 26,239 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its stake in shares of H.B. Fuller by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 71,354 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $5,491,000 after buying an additional 5,356 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in H.B. Fuller by 1.4% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 525,731 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,460,000 after acquiring an additional 7,292 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in H.B. Fuller by 3.1% during the second quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 88,348 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $6,799,000 after purchasing an additional 2,694 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in shares of H.B. Fuller during the 1st quarter valued at $79,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.93% of the company’s stock.

About H.B. Fuller

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.