Fifth Third Bancorp Sells 27,633 Shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. $CFR

Key Points

• Fifth Third Bancorp reduced its stake in Cullen/Frost by 65.1%, selling 27,633 shares and leaving 14,813 shares valued at $1.876 million at quarter-end.
• Cullen/Frost reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.65 (vs. $2.49 expected) and revenue of $1.04 billion, alongside a 15.6% return on equity and a 22.9% net margin.
• The bank raised its quarterly dividend to $1.03 (annualized $4.12, ~3.0% yield), while analysts hold a consensus "Hold" rating with an average price target of $142.82 amid mixed upgrades and downgrades.

Fifth Third Bancorp cut its stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR - Free Report) by 65.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,813 shares of the bank's stock after selling 27,633 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in Cullen/Frost Bankers were worth $1,876,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 252.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 257 shares of the bank's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Community Bank N.A. bought a new position in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. 86.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Price Performance

Cullen/Frost Bankers stock opened at $139.45 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.58, a PEG ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.58. Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. has a 52-week low of $119.00 and a 52-week high of $148.97. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $138.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $133.66. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The bank reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $587.29 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.30 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. will post 10.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. This is an increase from Cullen/Frost Bankers's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Cullen/Frost Bankers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on CFR. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Cullen/Frost Bankers from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Barclays increased their price target on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Loop Capital set a $160.00 price target on Cullen/Frost Bankers in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $114.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cullen/Frost Bankers has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $142.82.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Company Profile

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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