Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR) Receives Consensus Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts

Shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR) have received a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $132.77.

Several research analysts have commented on CFR shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $144.00 price target on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $132.00 to $120.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. DA Davidson lowered Cullen/Frost Bankers from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $138.00 to $143.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Compass Point boosted 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted 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.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Paul Bracher sold 11,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.45, for a total value of $1,603,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 102,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,355,819.70. This represents a 10.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.89% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cullen/Frost Bankers

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CFR. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 45.8% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 245 shares of the bank’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted 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 worth $46,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in the third quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 35.3% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 460 shares of the bank’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. 86.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CFR opened at $124.42 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68. Cullen/Frost Bankers has a fifty-two week low of $94.09 and a fifty-two week high of $147.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.99 billion, a PE ratio of 14.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.46 and a beta of 0.97. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $136.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $130.26.

Cullen/Frost Bankers (NYSE:CFR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The bank reported $2.36 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.17 by $0.19. Cullen/Frost Bankers had a return on equity of 15.95% and a net margin of 20.44%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Cullen/Frost Bankers will post 8.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Announces Dividend

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

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.