HighPoint Advisor Group LLC Buys New Shares in Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR)

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 1,534 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $218,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CFR. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 17,651 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,370,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 2,164 shares of the bank’s stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 45.8% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 245 shares of the bank’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 2,187 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $294,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, First Dallas Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. First Dallas Securities Inc. now owns 4,028 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $541,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 86.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Cullen/Frost Bankers

In related news, insider Paul Bracher sold 11,500 shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.45, for a total value of $1,603,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 102,946 shares in the company, valued at $14,355,819.70. This trade represents a 10.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Trading Down 10.5 %

Shares of CFR opened at $111.70 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $7.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.59, a PEG ratio of 6.46 and a beta of 0.82. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $132.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $131.23. Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. has a 52-week low of $94.09 and a 52-week high of $147.64.

Cullen/Frost Bankers (NYSE:CFR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The bank reported $2.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.19. Cullen/Frost Bankers had a return on equity of 15.95% and a net margin of 20.44%. Analysts predict that Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. will post 8.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. Cullen/Frost Bankers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on CFR. Barclays began coverage on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in a report on Tuesday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $130.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $144.00 price target on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $132.00 to $120.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $140.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $132.57.

Cullen/Frost Bankers 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.