Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR) Stock Now Rated “Hold” by Sell-Side Analysts

Shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $171.55.

CFR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Cullen/Frost Bankers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 31st. Barclays increased their price objective on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut Cullen/Frost Bankers from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $180.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Stephens lifted their target price on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $169.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $175.00 to $167.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 14th.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Price Performance

Shares of CFR opened at $157.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $157.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $149.71. Cullen/Frost Bankers has a 1-year low of $119.14 and a 1-year high of $170.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.81 billion, a PE ratio of 14.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.52.

Cullen/Frost Bankers (NYSE:CFR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The bank reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.80 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $603.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $610.19 million. Cullen/Frost Bankers had a return on equity of 16.27% and a net margin of 23.37%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.67 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Cullen/Frost Bankers will post 11.02 EPS for the current year.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 30th will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 30th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Cullen/Frost Bankers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cullen/Frost Bankers news, insider Paul Bracher sold 2,900 shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.24, for a total transaction of $458,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 108,736 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,206,384.64. The trade was a 2.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Bobby Berman sold 2,406 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.10, for a total transaction of $377,982.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 28,406 shares in the company, valued at $4,462,582.60. This trade represents a 7.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,840 shares of company stock valued at $922,169. 1.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GK Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Cullen/Frost Bankers during the third quarter valued at $32,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC purchased a new stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers in the second quarter valued at $37,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers during the 2nd quarter worth about $38,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers during the 1st quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Westpac Banking Corp acquired a new stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers during the 1st quarter worth about $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.90% of the company’s stock.

About Cullen/Frost Bankers

Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. is a financial holding company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Its principal subsidiary, Frost Bank, provides banking and other financial services to individuals and businesses. Frost Bank’s services include consumer and commercial banking, lending, treasury management, and wealth management, including trust and investment services. The company primarily serves customers across Texas through its branches and digital banking channels. The company traces its roots to 1868, when Thomas Claiborne Frost established a mercantile business in San Antonio; banking became part of the business later in the 19th century.