Fulton Financial (NASDAQ:FULT) Hits New 1-Year High Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Fulton Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:FULT) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $21.09 and last traded at $21.15, with a volume of 1099744 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $20.51.

The bank reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.03. Fulton Financial had a net margin of 20.68% and a return on equity of 12.94%. The company had revenue of $336.02 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $336.80 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.48 earnings per share.

Fulton Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This is a boost from Fulton Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. Fulton Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.79%.

Fulton Financial announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, December 16th that permits the company to repurchase $150.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the bank to reacquire up to 4.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Key Fulton Financial News

Here are the key news stories impacting Fulton Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat — Fulton reported $0.55 EPS (beat the $0.52 consensus), supporting upside investor sentiment after the print. Fulton Financial (FULT) Tops Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability metrics remain solid — management highlighted a 12.75% return on equity and a 19.01% net margin for the quarter, reinforcing the bank’s earnings quality. MarketBeat Q4 coverage and call materials
• Positive Sentiment: Immediate market reaction — outlets report the stock jumped after the results, reflecting investor approval of the beat and outlook. Fulton Financial stock jumps 4% after topping Q4 earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue essentially in line — Q4 revenue was $336.02M versus $336.8M expected, so topline didn’t drive the move but didn’t disappoint. Fulton Financial’s Q4 CY2025 Earnings Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary & guidance steady — the earnings call and transcript indicate steady guidance rather than an upgrade, which supports the beat but limits further upside until forward guidance changes. FULT Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Minor sequential profit dip — PR Newswire notes net income available to common shareholders was $96.4M (or $0.53 diluted), a $1.5M decrease versus Q3 2025, highlighting quarter-to-quarter variability. Fulton Financial Corporation Announces 2025 Fourth Quarter and Full-Year Results

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on FULT. Weiss Ratings lowered Fulton Financial from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Fulton Financial from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Fulton Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $21.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Fulton Financial has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Fulton Financial news, Director E Philip Wenger sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.55, for a total value of $97,750.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 85,477 shares in the company, valued at $1,671,075.35. The trade was a 5.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Fulton Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Fulton Financial by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 23,924 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $467,000 after buying an additional 580 shares during the last quarter. EJF Capital LLC raised its stake in Fulton Financial by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. EJF Capital LLC now owns 22,686 shares of the bank’s stock worth $409,000 after purchasing an additional 582 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Fulton Financial by 16.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,262 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 613 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in Fulton Financial by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 53,768 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,002,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares during the period. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of Fulton Financial by 48.0% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,995 shares of the bank’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 647 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.02% of the company’s stock.

Fulton Financial Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $19.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company has a market capitalization of $3.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.12 and a beta of 0.85.

Fulton Financial Company Profile

Fulton Financial Corporation, trading on the NASDAQ under the ticker FULT, is the financial holding company for Fulton Bank, headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The company delivers a broad range of banking and financial services through its subsidiary, Fulton Bank, targeting both individual and corporate clients. Fulton Financial’s offerings include deposit accounts, lending solutions, treasury management, and specialized banking services designed to support personal wealth goals and business growth initiatives.

Through Fulton Bank, the company provides retail banking services such as checking and savings accounts, consumer and residential mortgage loans, and home equity products.