Cullen/Frost Bankers (NYSE:CFR) Hits New 1-Year High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Cullen/Frost Bankers reached a new 52-week high of $166.25, with shares later trading near $163.75. The stock’s market capitalization was approximately $10.28 billion.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $152.42—below the current share price.
• The bank reported quarterly EPS of $2.65, exceeding estimates of $2.49, and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.03 per share, equivalent to a 2.5% annual yield.

Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $166.25 and last traded at $163.7540, with a volume of 682203 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $164.23.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CFR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers from $143.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers from $154.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers from $131.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $152.42.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Trading Down 0.3%

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $149.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.82. The stock has a market cap of $10.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.94, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.65.

Cullen/Frost Bankers (NYSE:CFR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The bank reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.16. Cullen/Frost Bankers had a return on equity of 15.58% and a net margin of 22.86%.The company had revenue of $574.84 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $587.28 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.30 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. will post 10.57 EPS for the current year.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th were given a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from Cullen/Frost Bankers's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Cullen/Frost Bankers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Carol Jean Severyn sold 837 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.29, for a total value of $124,118.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,712 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,885,062.48. The trade was a 6.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.14% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cullen/Frost Bankers

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $92,904,000. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 2,024.4% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 373,977 shares of the bank's stock worth $47,409,000 after acquiring an additional 356,373 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 16,676.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 353,470 shares of the bank's stock worth $44,760,000 after acquiring an additional 351,363 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 18.3% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,530,772 shares of the bank's stock worth $209,833,000 after acquiring an additional 236,808 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,687,000. 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.

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