Analysts were expecting Fulton Financial Corp. (FULT) [Chart - News - Analysis] to report earnings of $0.07 for last quarter, but FULT beat expectations with actual earnings of $0.10---3 cents above the consensus estimate.

If you compare last quarter's earnings to the $0.17 the company made per share during the same quarter a year ago, you can see that FULT’s earnings are down this year.

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Also, if you compare FULT's 6.40% projected earnings-per-share (EPS) growth rate for the next five years with the projected EPS growth rate of 8.83% for the Regional - Northeast Banks industry as a whole during that same time frame, you can see that analysts expect FULT to underperform the industry in the future---which is a bad sign for the stock.

Drilling down a little deeper into the Regional - Northeast Banks industry, you can see how analysts believe FULT will stack up against some of the other stocks in the industry, like State Street Corp. (STT) [Chart - News - Analysis] and M&T Bank Corp. (MTB) [Chart - News - Analysis], in the future. Analysts believe STT's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 10.13% while MTB's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 5.58%.

Earnings season can be a volatile time in the stock market. Check out these videos and articles to be better prepared to take advantage of the large price moves that tend to accompany earnings announcements.

- Earnings Season is Here - Find Out How to Trade It

- Using Options to Trade Earnings

- Understanding Stock Analyst Research and Recommendations

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