H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,320,000 shares, a growth of 9.1% from the November 30th total of 1,210,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 301,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.4 days.
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. S&CO Inc. boosted its holdings in H.B. Fuller by 0.3% during the third quarter. S&CO Inc. now owns 267,192 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $21,209,000 after acquiring an additional 920 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its holdings in 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 valued at $5,491,000 after buying an additional 5,356 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in H.B. Fuller by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 525,731 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $40,460,000 after buying an additional 7,292 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of H.B. Fuller by 1.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,258,752 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $99,939,000 after buying an additional 18,734 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 26,239 shares during the period. 95.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Shares of FUL traded up $0.39 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $67.48. 232,801 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 233,160. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.89. The company has a market cap of $3.69 billion, a PE ratio of 20.83, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.41. The firm's 50 day moving average is $73.97 and its 200-day moving average is $78.09. H.B. Fuller has a 52 week low of $66.46 and a 52 week high of $87.67.
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 17th were issued a dividend of $0.2225 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 17th. This represents a $0.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.32%. H.B. Fuller's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.47%.
A number of research firms have issued reports on FUL. StockNews.com downgraded shares of H.B. Fuller from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Citigroup cut their price objective on H.B. Fuller from $85.00 to $78.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $92.75.
Read Our Latest Analysis on FUL
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.
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