Crane (NYSE:CR) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Crane (NYSE:CR) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $163.51 and last traded at $163.11, with a volume of 39395 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $160.13.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on CR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Crane from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Crane from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $157.33.

Crane Stock Up 5.5 %

The business’s 50 day moving average is $154.88 and its 200 day moving average is $149.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market cap of $9.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.81.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The conglomerate reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.06. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The firm had revenue of $597.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $594.45 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Crane Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.205 per share. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Crane’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.06%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Crane

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Matrix Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Crane during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Crane during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Crane during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Crane by 150.6% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 218 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the period. Finally, ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Crane in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Crane Company Profile

Crane Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells engineered industrial products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Aerospace & Electronics, Process Flow Technologies, and Engineered Materials.