H.B. Fuller Company Beat Analyst Estimates: See What The Consensus Is Forecasting For Next Year

Shareholders might have noticed that H.B. Fuller Company (NYSE:FUL) filed its quarterly result this time last week. The early response was not positive, with shares down 3.6% to US$58.47 in the past week. It looks like a credible result overall - although revenues of US$892m were what the analysts expected, H.B. Fuller surprised by delivering a (statutory) profit of US$1.22 per share, an impressive 21% above what was forecast. The analysts typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. With this in mind, we've gathered the latest statutory forecasts to see what the analysts are expecting for next year.

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Taking into account the latest results, H.B. Fuller's six analysts currently expect revenues in 2026 to be US$3.56b, approximately in line with the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to bounce 85% to US$3.92. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$3.60b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$4.01 in 2026. The analysts seem to have become a little more negative on the business after the latest results, given the minor downgrade to their earnings per share numbers for next year.

Check out our latest analysis for H.B. Fuller

It might be a surprise to learn that the consensus price target was broadly unchanged at US$68.83, with the analysts clearly implying that the forecast decline in earnings is not expected to have much of an impact on valuation. It could also be instructive to look at the range of analyst estimates, to evaluate how different the outlier opinions are from the mean. The most optimistic H.B. Fuller analyst has a price target of US$80.00 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at US$54.00. There are definitely some different views on the stock, but the range of estimates is not wide enough as to imply that the situation is unforecastable, in our view.

Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. It's pretty clear that there is an expectation that H.B. Fuller's revenue growth will slow down substantially, with revenues to the end of 2026 expected to display 1.4% growth on an annualised basis. This is compared to a historical growth rate of 4.1% over the past five years. Compare this against other companies (with analyst forecasts) in the industry, which are in aggregate expected to see revenue growth of 4.5% annually. Factoring in the forecast slowdown in growth, it seems obvious that H.B. Fuller is also expected to grow slower than other industry participants.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that the analysts downgraded their earnings per share estimates, showing that there has been a clear decline in sentiment following these results. On the plus side, there were no major changes to revenue estimates; although forecasts imply they will perform worse than the wider industry. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates.

Following on from that line of thought, we think that the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for H.B. Fuller going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here..

Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for H.B. Fuller (1 is significant) you should be aware of.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.