Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $150.7273.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Stephens raised shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $164.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers from $133.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in a report on Monday, June 1st.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CFR opened at $154.87 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.08, a PEG ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.54. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $142.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $139.38. Cullen/Frost Bankers has a 52-week low of $119.00 and a 52-week high of $157.34.

Cullen/Frost Bankers (NYSE:CFR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The bank reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $574.84 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $587.28 million. Cullen/Frost Bankers had a net margin of 22.86% and a return on equity of 15.58%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.30 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Cullen/Frost Bankers will post 10.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were given a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 29th. This is an increase from Cullen/Frost Bankers’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Cullen/Frost Bankers’s payout ratio is currently 40.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cullen/Frost Bankers

In other news, EVP Carol Jean Severyn sold 837 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.29, for a total transaction of $124,118.73. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,712 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,885,062.48. This trade represents a 6.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cullen/Frost Bankers

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 61.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 605,697 shares of the bank’s stock worth $75,833,000 after acquiring an additional 230,993 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 166,900 shares of the bank’s stock worth $20,896,000 after purchasing an additional 15,063 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 40.8% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 366 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 12.2% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 126,040 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $16,201,000 after purchasing an additional 13,718 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 82.9% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $151,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.90% of the company’s stock.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Company Profile

Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc is the holding company for Frost Bank, a Texas-chartered financial institution whose origins date back to 1868 in San Antonio. As one of the oldest banking organizations in the state, it offers a broad range of services to individuals, small and large businesses, and institutional clients. Core banking activities include commercial lending, deposit services, cash management and trade finance, while consumer products cover residential mortgages, personal lines of credit and home equity loans.

Beyond traditional banking, the company provides comprehensive treasury and equipment leasing solutions tailored to support working capital and capital expenditure requirements.