Cullen/Frost Bankers(US:CFR)2026-01-29 20:02Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Q2 2025, Cullen/Frost earned $155.3 million or $2.39 per share, compared to $143.8 million or $2.21 per share in the same quarter last year, representing a year-over-year increase of 8.5% in earnings per share [5] - Return on average assets was 1.22% and return on average common equity was 15.64%, compared to 1.18% and 17.08% in the same quarter last year [5] - Average deposits increased to $41.8 billion, up 3.1% from $40.5 billion in Q2 2024, while average loans grew to $21.1 billion, a 7.2% increase from $19.7 billion [6] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Consumer deposits grew by 3.7% year-over-year, with checking household growth at an industry-leading rate of 5.4% [9][10] - The commercial business saw average loan balances increase by $817 million or 4.9% year-over-year, with commercial real estate (CRE) balances growing by 6.8% and energy balances increasing by 22% [11] - The consumer real estate loan portfolio grew by $600 million year-over-year, representing a 22% growth rate [10] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Expansion efforts contributed to 37% of total loan growth and 44% of total deposit growth year-over-year [15] - The expansion now represents 9.6% of company loans and 6.6% of company deposits [9] - New commercial relationships increased by 9% over the first quarter, with 1,060 new relationships recorded in Q2 [12] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company continues to focus on organic growth through expansion in Texas, having opened its 200th location [6][7] - Management emphasizes a durable and scalable growth strategy, with plans to continue identifying new locations for expansion [9] - The company is not currently interested in pursuing M&A opportunities, preferring to focus on organic growth and customer service [86][87] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expects net interest income growth for the full year to fall in the range of 6%-7%, with net interest margin improvement of about 12-15 basis points [22][23] - The company anticipates that the rate of growth in expenses will decrease over time as investments in technology and expansion begin to pay off [43] - Management is optimistic about the economic outlook and expects to see benefits from expansion efforts in 2026 [41][45] Other Important Information - The net unrealized loss on the available-for-sale portfolio at the end of the quarter was $1.42 billion, slightly up from $1.4 billion in the previous quarter [18] - Non-interest income is expected to grow in the range of 3.5%-4.5%, an increase from prior guidance [23] Q&A Session Summary Question: What are the current trends in loan pricing and competition? - Management noted that competition has increased, particularly in commercial real estate, leading to price compression [30][31] Question: How is the company approaching capital growth and utilization? - The focus remains on building capital, with a priority on protecting dividends, and no immediate plans for stock repurchase [32][34] Question: When can shareholders expect to see benefits from recent investments? - Management expects accretion from expansion efforts to begin in 2026, with a gradual increase over time [41][45] Question: What is the outlook for deposit growth? - Management is optimistic about deposit growth in the second half of the year, with expectations for non-interest-bearing deposits to stabilize [49][50] Question: How does the company view M&A opportunities? - The company is not interested in pursuing M&A, focusing instead on organic growth strategies [86][87]