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

Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $125.43.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wedbush dropped their price target on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers from $124.00 to $123.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Maxim Group increased their target price on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers from $138.00 to $149.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Compass Point upped their price target on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $111.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $121.00 to $117.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 30th.

Insider Transactions at Cullen/Frost Bankers

In related news, EVP Bobby Berman sold 3,506 shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.31, for a total transaction of $442,842.86. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,661 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,367,550.91. This trade represents a 11.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Phillip D. Green sold 14,358 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.96, for a total value of $1,980,829.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 94,423 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,026,597.08. This trade represents a 13.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 21,864 shares of company stock worth $2,977,033 over the last three months. 2.89% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Cullen/Frost Bankers

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CFR. Cetera Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 24.4% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 2,391 shares of the bank's stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 44.8% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 4,720 shares of the bank's stock worth $480,000 after purchasing an additional 1,460 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 2.4% during the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 19,330 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,965,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 6.2% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,333 shares of the bank's stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Everpar Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 6.1% in the second quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 3,422 shares of the bank's stock valued at $348,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. 86.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Price Performance

CFR traded up $0.04 on Friday, reaching $138.26. The company had a trading volume of 242,397 shares, compared to its average volume of 338,149. Cullen/Frost Bankers has a one year low of $94.09 and a one year high of $147.64. The company has a market capitalization of $8.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.15, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a fifty day moving average of $129.80 and a 200-day moving average of $114.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Cullen/Frost Bankers (NYSE:CFR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The bank reported $2.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.07. Cullen/Frost Bankers had a return on equity of 15.82% and a net margin of 18.81%. The firm had revenue of $518.04 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $517.25 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.38 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Cullen/Frost Bankers will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Cullen/Frost Bankers's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.15%.

About Cullen/Frost Bankers

Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Frost Bank that provides commercial and consumer banking services in Texas. The company offers commercial banking services to corporations, including financing for industrial and commercial properties, interim construction related to industrial and commercial properties, equipment, inventories and accounts receivables, and acquisitions; and treasury management services, as well as originates commercial leasing services.