FULT vs WSFS: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?
Last updated October 2026
Short answer
FULT and WSFS are similarly sized, but FULT trades noticeably cheaper on forward earnings (9.39x vs 10.90x): the market is paying up for WSFS's profile and pricing FULT more conservatively, or for faster growth. Which you prefer comes down to the drivers you believe, and whether adding either over-concentrates what you already own.
FULT vs WSFS: the tie-breaker metrics
Same yardstick, side by side (as of October 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.
| Metric | FULT | WSFS | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $4.28B | $3.90B | Size. The larger name is the incumbent; the smaller has more room to grow and more to prove. |
| Forward P/E | 9.39 | 10.90 | Valuation on next year's expected earnings, the same yardstick for both. Lower is cheaper for that growth; higher means the market is paying up. |
| Trailing P/E | 10.77 | 12.79 | Valuation on the last 12 months. A big drop from trailing to forward means the market expects earnings to jump, so more growth is already in the price. |
| Beta | 0.80 | 0.83 | Volatility vs the market. Above 1 swings harder than the index; below 1 is steadier. Higher beta means bigger drawdowns to hold through. |
| Price vs 52-week range | 66% of range | 80% of range | Where today's price sits between the 52-week low and high. Near the high is momentum with less margin of safety; near the low is out of favor or a discount, depending on why. |
| Price / book | 1.18 | 1.44 | How much you pay over book value. Very high can signal an asset-light, high-return business or a rich price. |
Reading it: FULT is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.
Before you buy: how FULT and WSFS affect your concentration
The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. FULT and WSFS share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.
This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined FULT and WSFS exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.
What does Fulton Financial Corporation (FULT) do?
Fulton Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: FULT) is the Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based holding company for Fulton Bank, a regional bank operating roughly 200-plus branches across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. With about $32 billion in total assets, it serves consumers and small-to-mid-sized businesses through commercial and consumer lending, residential mortgages, treasury and cash management, and a wealth management arm. Like most banks, Fulton makes money in two ways: net interest income, the spread between what it earns on loans and securities and what it pays on deposits, and noninterest fee income from wealth management, cards, service charges, and mortgage banking.
What does WSFS Financial Corporation (WSFS) do?
WSFS Financial Corporation is a Wilmington, Delaware based bank holding company whose principal subsidiary, WSFS Bank, is one of the oldest banks in the United States operating continuously under the same name (nearly 200 years). It offers commercial and retail banking, treasury and cash-management, and a sizable trust and wealth-management operation, running roughly 115 offices concentrated in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey with smaller footprints in Florida, Nevada, and Virginia. As of March 2026 it held about $22.1 billion in balance-sheet assets and roughly $97.6 billion in assets under management and administration.
FULT vs WSFS: how do they differ?
Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.
- FULT drivers: Net interest margin and rate environment; Republic First integration and FultonFirst efficiency.
- WSFS drivers: Fee and wealth-management diversification; Regional density and franchise scale.
Which fits which kind of investor
A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: Fulton is highly sensitive to interest rates, since net interest income is its largest revenue source, so falling rates, an inverted curve, or rising deposit costs can compress its net interest margin and earnings. For WSFS, as a regional bank, WSFS is exposed to net interest margin compression if deposit costs rise faster than asset yields or if the yield curve stays inverted.
FULT or WSFS: which should you pick?
FULT vs WSFS: the full fundamentals
FULT. Fulton trades near 11x trailing and 9.4x forward earnings with a ~3.4% dividend yield and about 1.2x book value, after a ~34% one-year gain that has cooled over the past three months. Third-quarter results arrive October 21, 2026, with consensus EPS near $0.55 and analysts' mean target around $26. Bank valuations like this are commonly viewed alongside price-to-tangible-book value and return on tangible common equity, not just P/E.
WSFS. At $76.50 on October 16, 2026, WSFS trades near 12.8 times trailing and 10.9 times forward earnings and about 1.4 times book, with a dividend yield near 1%. Earnings have outrun estimates for four straight quarters, though part of early-2026 strength reflected a large loan recovery and reserve release rather than pure operating growth. Q3 results arrive October 22 with consensus near $1.62, and the six covering analysts average an $88 target.
Headline figures (approximate, October 2026): FULT shows revenue (ttm) ~$1.33 billion; Q2 2026 ~$364 million, up ~13.7% year over year, net income (ttm) ~$386 million (profit margin ~29.7%), eps ~$2.08 trailing; Q2 2026 operating $0.60 vs ~$0.53 consensus, market capitalization ~$4.3 billion at $22.48 (Oct 16, 2026); WSFS shows revenue (ttm) ~$1.08B, revenue growth (q2 2026, yoy) ~8.8%, net income (ttm) ~$320M, q2 2026 eps ~$1.66 (vs ~$1.50 est.).
The bottom line: FULT vs WSFS
FULT and WSFS are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined FULT and WSFS exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.
Wondering how FULT or WSFS fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.
Investing in Fulton Financial Corporation with AI
Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how FULT fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.
FAQ
What is the difference between FULT and WSFS?
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Fulton Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: FULT) is the Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based holding company for Fulton Bank, a regional bank operating roughly 200-plus branches across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. WSFS Financial Corporation is a Wilmington, Delaware based bank holding company whose principal subsidiary, WSFS Bank, is one of the oldest banks in the United States operating continuously under the same name (nearly 200 years). They show up together because they share investment themes, but they are different businesses, so the better fit depends on which thesis you are expressing.
Is FULT or WSFS the better stock?
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Neither is universally better; they suit different views and risk levels. Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Compare what each does, the tie-breaker metrics above, and the risks, then decide which fits your thesis and what you already own.
Which is cheaper, FULT or WSFS?
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On forward P/E (as of October 2026), FULT trades at 9.39x and WSFS at 10.90x, so FULT is the cheaper of the two on next year's expected earnings. A lower multiple is not automatically the better buy: a richer valuation can be justified by faster growth, and a lower one can reflect real risk. Weigh the multiple against how fast each business is compounding.
Should you own both FULT and WSFS?
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Because they share themes, owning both concentrates you in that theme. That can be intentional (a focused bet) or accidental (less diversification than it looks). Walnut can show your combined exposure across both, and whether adding either over-concentrates you, before you buy.
What are the risks of FULT vs WSFS?
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FULT: Fulton is highly sensitive to interest rates, since net interest income is its largest revenue source, so falling rates, an inverted curve, or rising deposit costs can compress its net interest margin and earnings. As a regional bank with meaningful commercial and commercial real estate lending, it is exposed to the credit cycle, where a regional economic slowdown, office or retail CRE stress, or rising unemployment would increase loan losses. Integration and execution risk remain from the Republic First acquisition and the FultonFirst transformation, where cost overruns or disruption could weigh on results. Deposit stability is a factor after the 2023 regional-banking stress that reminded investors mid-sized banks can face rapid outflows. Finally, the stock is smaller and less liquid than money-center peers and can be more volatile around rate expectations, regulation, and regional economic news. Sentiment has also cooled after a strong run: the stock is ~8.7% lower over three months, Raymond James downgraded it on October 6, 2026, and analysts expect third-quarter EPS of ~$0.55, roughly flat year over year, so the October 21 print lands with lower momentum behind it. WSFS: As a regional bank, WSFS is exposed to net interest margin compression if deposit costs rise faster than asset yields or if the yield curve stays inverted. Commercial real estate exposure, notably office, could raise nonperforming assets and provision expense if the economy weakens. Deposit competition from both large banks and fintechs pressures funding costs and could erode the low-cost deposit advantage. Recent earnings have benefited from one-time items like a sizable loan recovery and reserve releases, so core run-rate profitability may look softer without them. Its geographic concentration in the Mid-Atlantic means regional economic shocks hit harder than they would for a nationally diversified peer. After a roughly 39% gain in 2026 the shares carry higher expectations than they did a year ago, and consensus calls for EPS growth to slow to about 6% in 2027 from about 27% in 2026.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. This page is descriptive and not a recommendation to buy or sell FULT or WSFS; figures are approximate and dated (as of October 2026). Verify current data before investing.