Comerica Incorporated (NYSE:CMA) Stock Holdings Lifted by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Comerica Incorporated (NYSE:CMA) by 251.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 51,573 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 36,883 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Comerica were worth $3,190,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CMA. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Comerica by 95.2% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 84,187 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,207,000 after purchasing an additional 41,053 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Comerica during the 4th quarter valued at $13,875,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Comerica by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 30,599 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,893,000 after buying an additional 2,202 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC grew its holdings in shares of Comerica by 29.7% during the 4th quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 2,149,591 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $132,952,000 after acquiring an additional 492,381 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group acquired a new position in shares of Comerica in the fourth quarter worth $706,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.74% of the company’s stock.

Comerica Stock Performance

NYSE CMA opened at $50.83 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $60.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.12. Comerica Incorporated has a 52-week low of $45.32 and a 52-week high of $73.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.13 and a beta of 0.96.

Comerica (NYSE:CMA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by ($0.05). Comerica had a return on equity of 12.04% and a net margin of 13.98%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Comerica Incorporated will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Comerica Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.59%. Comerica’s payout ratio is 56.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CMA has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Comerica from $73.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Stephens cut shares of Comerica from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $66.00 to $64.00 in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Comerica from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Comerica from $71.00 to $67.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Argus raised shares of Comerica to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Comerica has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $68.16.

Comerica Company Profile

Comerica Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides various financial products and services. The company operates through Commercial Bank, Retail Bank, Wealth Management, and Finance segments. The Commercial Bank segment offers various products and services, including commercial loans and lines of credit, deposits, cash management, payment solutions, card services, capital market products, international trade finance, letters of credit, foreign exchange management services, and loan syndication services for small and middle market businesses, multinational corporations, and governmental entities.