AlphaQuest LLC Reduces Position in Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR)

AlphaQuest LLC lowered its holdings in Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR) by 69.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 996 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 2,300 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Cullen/Frost Bankers were worth $134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 45.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 245 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 239.0% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 339 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in the third quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its position in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 134.2% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 541 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.90% of the company’s stock.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of CFR opened at $124.42 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $136.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.26. The stock has a market cap of $7.99 billion, a PE ratio of 14.03, a P/E/G ratio of 6.46 and a beta of 0.97. Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.09 and a 12 month high of $147.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68.

Cullen/Frost Bankers (NYSE:CFR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The bank reported $2.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.19. Cullen/Frost Bankers had a return on equity of 15.95% and a net margin of 20.44%. Equities analysts forecast that Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. will post 8.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Cullen/Frost Bankers’s payout ratio is 42.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $132.00 to $120.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. DA Davidson cut Cullen/Frost Bankers from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $138.00 to $143.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Compass Point lifted their target price on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $122.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $140.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $132.77.

Insider Transactions at Cullen/Frost Bankers

In other news, insider Paul Bracher sold 11,500 shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.45, for a total transaction of $1,603,675.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 102,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,355,819.70. The trade was a 10.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.89% of the company’s stock.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Company Profile

Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Frost Bank that provides commercial and consumer banking services in Texas. The company offers commercial banking services to corporations, including financing for industrial and commercial properties, interim construction related to industrial and commercial properties, equipment, inventories and accounts receivables, and acquisitions; and treasury management services, as well as originates commercial leasing services.