Crane (NYSE:CR) Receives $174.80 Average PT from Brokerages

Crane (NYSE:CR) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $174.80.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on CR shares. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Crane from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of Crane from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th.

Crane Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CR opened at $168.77 on Friday. Crane has a fifty-two week low of $118.48 and a fifty-two week high of $188.52. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $161.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $160.05. 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 firm has a market cap of $9.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.24.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.07. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.90 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. This is an increase from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Crane’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Crane

In other Crane news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.96, for a total value of $392,011.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 32,963 shares in the company, valued at $5,635,354.48. This represents a 6.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crane

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Matrix Trust Co bought a new stake in Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Crane during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Crane in the third quarter worth about $30,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Crane by 81.8% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 220 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in Crane during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

About Crane

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.