Cullen/Frost Bankers (NYSE:CFR) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $146.21 and last traded at $146.0250, with a volume of 18510 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $142.36.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $114.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday. TD Cowen reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in a research note on Monday. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $160.00 target price on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in a research note on Monday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.92.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Stock Up 2.5%

The company has a market cap of $9.41 billion, a PE ratio of 14.84, a P/E/G ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $132.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $128.63.

Cullen/Frost Bankers (NYSE:CFR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The bank reported $2.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.09. Cullen/Frost Bankers had a net margin of 21.99% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The firm had revenue of $562.58 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $578.05 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.36 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. will post 8.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Cullen/Frost Bankers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Bobby Berman sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.07, for a total transaction of $137,070.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 28,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,893,610.42. The trade was a 3.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Coolidge E. Rhodes, Jr. sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.00, for a total value of $88,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,795 shares in the company, valued at $481,965. This trade represents a 15.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,700 shares of company stock worth $225,970. 2.89% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. grew its stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 42,979 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,442,000 after purchasing an additional 4,245 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 67.6% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 248 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 20.8% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 22,616 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,864,000 after buying an additional 3,900 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 268,194 shares of the bank’s stock worth $33,961,000 after buying an additional 9,612 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cedar Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in the fourth quarter worth $228,000. 86.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Cullen/Frost Bankers

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.