Barclays PLC Sells 56,353 Shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR)

Barclays PLC trimmed its stake in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR) by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 380,040 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 56,353 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned about 0.59% of Cullen/Frost Bankers worth $51,021,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Cullen/Frost Bankers in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 239.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 339 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 35.3% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 460 shares of the bank’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers during the fourth quarter worth $106,000. 86.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Price Performance

Cullen/Frost Bankers stock opened at $111.54 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $126.06 and its 200 day moving average is $130.86. Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. has a one year low of $94.09 and a one year high of $147.64. The firm has a market cap of $7.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.57, a P/E/G ratio of 6.46 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68.

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

Cullen/Frost Bankers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Cullen/Frost Bankers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.84%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Paul Bracher sold 11,500 shares of the business’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $14,355,819.70. The trade was a 10.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.89% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on CFR shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $144.00 price target on shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers in a research report on Friday, January 31st. DA Davidson downgraded shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $138.00 to $143.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $132.00 to $120.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Barclays began coverage on Cullen/Frost Bankers in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $130.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $136.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cullen/Frost Bankers currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $132.57.

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.