Why Fulton Financial (FULT) is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now

Whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. However, when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on dividends. A dividend is that coveted distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders, and investors often view it by its dividend yield, a metric that measures the dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.Fulton Financial in FocusFulton Financial (FULT) is headquartered in Lancaster, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of -15.77% since the start of the year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.18 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 4.43%. In comparison, the Banks - Northeast industry's yield is 2.74%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.65%.Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $0.72 is up 4.3% from last year. Fulton Financial has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 7.12%. Looking ahead, future dividend growth will be dependent on earnings growth and payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Right now, Fulton Financial's payout ratio is 39%, which means it paid out 39% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.Earnings growth looks solid for FULT for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 is $1.86 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 0.54%.Bottom LineInvestors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.Big, established firms that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options, but it's fairly uncommon to see high-growth businesses or tech start-ups offer their stockholders a dividend. Income investors must be conscious of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, FULT is a compelling investment opportunity. Not only is it a strong dividend play, but the stock currently sits at a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold).7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.9% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fulton Financial Corporation (FULT): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks