Gabelli Funds LLC Lowers Holdings in H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL)

Gabelli Funds LLC reduced its position in shares of H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) by 3.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 318,200 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 12,800 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC owned approximately 0.58% of H.B. Fuller worth $24,489,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Neuberger Berman Group LLC boosted its stake in H.B. Fuller by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 11,353 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $924,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of H.B. Fuller in the 1st quarter valued at about $79,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of H.B. Fuller by 3.1% in the 2nd 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 acquiring an additional 2,694 shares in the last quarter. Security National Bank of SO Dak bought a new stake in shares of H.B. Fuller during the 4th quarter valued at about $236,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of H.B. Fuller by 9.9% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 45,152 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,600,000 after purchasing an additional 4,077 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.93% of the company’s stock.

H.B. Fuller Trading Down 3.0 %

NYSE FUL opened at $81.40 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $81.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $79.54. H.B. Fuller has a twelve month low of $64.64 and a twelve month high of $87.67. The company has a market capitalization of $4.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.78, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.42.

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

H.B. Fuller Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st were issued a $0.2225 dividend. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. This is a positive change from H.B. Fuller’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 31st. H.B. Fuller’s payout ratio is presently 30.38%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Heather Campe sold 23,696 shares of H.B. Fuller stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 19,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,631,873.72. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.