Fulton Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:FULT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Fulton Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:FULT) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $21.50.

Several brokerages have recently commented on FULT. DA Davidson assumed coverage on Fulton Financial in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $24.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings raised Fulton Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, November 26th.

Fulton Financial Trading Down 2.3%

NASDAQ:FULT opened at $20.20 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. Fulton Financial has a one year low of $14.32 and a one year high of $22.99. The company has a market cap of $3.64 billion, a PE ratio of 9.71 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $20.80 and a 200-day moving average of $19.41.

Fulton Financial (NASDAQ:FULT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The bank reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $336.02 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $336.80 million. Fulton Financial had a net margin of 20.68% and a return on equity of 12.78%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.48 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Fulton Financial will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Fulton Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a $0.19 dividend. This is an increase from Fulton Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. Fulton Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Fulton Financial news, Director E Philip Wenger sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.55, for a total value of $97,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 85,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,671,075.35. This represents a 5.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fulton Financial

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Fulton Financial during the fourth quarter worth $44,271,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Fulton Financial by 219.6% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,822,385 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $54,557,000 after purchasing an additional 1,939,260 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Fulton Financial by 42.4% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 5,626,858 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $101,509,000 after purchasing an additional 1,676,495 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Fulton Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $22,069,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Fulton Financial by 29.8% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,590,883 shares of the bank’s stock worth $88,743,000 after purchasing an additional 1,054,321 shares during the period. 72.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Fulton Financial

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.