Comparing First Guaranty Bancshares (NASDAQ:FGBI) and Fulton Financial (NASDAQ:FULTP)

Fulton Financial (NASDAQ:FULTP) and First Guaranty Bancshares (NASDAQ:FGBI) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk and profitability.

Dividends

Fulton Financial pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 7.2%. First Guaranty Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $0.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. First Guaranty Bancshares pays out -1.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

39.5% of First Guaranty Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. 49.4% of First Guaranty Bancshares shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Fulton Financial and First Guaranty Bancshares”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Fulton Financial	$1.37 billion	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
First Guaranty Bancshares	$221.76 million	0.65	-$56.02 million	($2.42)	-3.62

Fulton Financial has higher revenue and earnings than First Guaranty Bancshares.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Fulton Financial and First Guaranty Bancshares, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Fulton Financial	0	0	0	0	0.00
First Guaranty Bancshares	1	1	0	0	1.50

Profitability

This table compares Fulton Financial and First Guaranty Bancshares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Fulton Financial	N/A	N/A	N/A
First Guaranty Bancshares	-16.83%	-12.25%	-0.60%

Summary

Fulton Financial beats First Guaranty Bancshares on 5 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Fulton Financial

Fulton Financial Corporation operates as a financial holding company that provides consumer and commercial banking products and services in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. It accepts various checking accounts and savings deposit products, certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts. The company offers consumer loans products, including home equity loans and lines of credit, automobile loans, personal lines of credit, and checking account overdraft protection; construction and jumbo residential mortgage loans; and commercial lending products comprising commercial real estate, commercial and industrial, and construction loans, as well as equipment lease financing loans. In addition, it offers letters of credit, cash management services, and traditional deposit products; and wealth management services, including investment management, trust, brokerage, insurance, and investment advisory services. Further, the company owns trust preferred securities; and sells various life insurance products. It provides its products and services through financial center offices, as well as through a network of automated teller machines, telephone banking, mobile banking, and online banking. Fulton Financial Corporation was founded in 1882 and is headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

About First Guaranty Bancshares

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. operates as the holding company for First Guaranty Bank that provides commercial banking services in Louisiana and Texas. It offers various deposit products, including personal and business checking, savings, money market, and demand accounts, as well as time deposits to consumers, small businesses, and municipalities. The company provides loans, such as non-farm, non-residential loans secured by real estate, commercial and industrial loans, one- to four-family residential loans, multifamily loans, construction and land development loans, agricultural loans, farmland loans, and consumer and other loans to small to medium-sized businesses and professionals, and individuals. In addition, it offers a range of consumer services, including credit cards, mobile deposit capture, safe deposit boxes, official checks, online and mobile banking, automated teller machines, and online bill pay; provides additional solutions, such as merchant services, remote deposit capture, and lockbox services to business customers; and invests a portion of its assets in securities issued by the United States Government and its agencies, state and municipal obligations, corporate debt securities, mutual funds, and equity securities, as well as invests in mortgage-backed securities primarily issued or guaranteed by United States Government agencies or enterprises. First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Hammond, Louisiana.