Morgan Stanley Raises Cullen/Frost Bankers (NYSE:CFR) Price Target to $136.00

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley has raised the price target for Cullen/Frost Bankers from $125.00 to $136.00, indicating a potential upside of 7.16% from the current stock price, although the firm maintains an "underweight" rating.
• The stock has recently been downgraded by Barclays to a price target of $145.00 and by Raymond James to $145.00, contrasting with a "strong-buy" rating from TD Cowen.
• Despite the recent price adjustments, Cullen/Frost Bankers reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $2.39 per share, surpassing analysts' estimates of $2.28.

Cullen/Frost Bankers (NYSE:CFR - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $136.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "underweight" rating on the bank's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target points to a potential upside of 7.16% from the stock's current price.

CFR has been the subject of a number of other research reports. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 1st. Raymond James Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $136.92.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of CFR traded down $1.97 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $126.91. 130,014 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 435,922. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $128.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $125.73. Cullen/Frost Bankers has a 52 week low of $100.31 and a 52 week high of $147.64. The company has a market cap of $8.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.66, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.74.

Cullen/Frost Bankers (NYSE:CFR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The bank reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.11. Cullen/Frost Bankers had a net margin of 21.20% and a return on equity of 15.46%. The company had revenue of $567.83 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $552.04 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.21 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Cullen/Frost Bankers will post 8.85 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cullen/Frost Bankers

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 8,800.0% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 267 shares of the bank's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. eCIO Inc. bought a new stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 40.8% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 366 shares of the bank's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 59.6% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 391 shares of the bank's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. 86.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Company Profile

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.

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