Cullen/Frost Bankers (NYSE:CFR) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CFR. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Loop Capital set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.92.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $9.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.80, a P/E/G ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $133.06 and a 200-day moving average of $128.63.

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

Cullen/Frost Bankers Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Cullen/Frost Bankers

In other news, EVP Bobby Berman sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.07, for a total transaction of $137,070.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 28,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,893,610.42. This represents a 3.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Coolidge E. Rhodes, Jr. sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $481,965. The trade was a 15.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,700 shares of company stock valued at $225,970. Insiders own 2.89% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CFR. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 230,993 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 9.9% in 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 acquiring an additional 15,063 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 40.8% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 366 shares of the bank’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS lifted its stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 8.5% during the 2nd quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 12,700 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,632,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 0.6% during the second quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,100 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,327,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.90% of the company’s stock.

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.