Stifel Nicolaus Has Lowered Expectations for Crane (NYSE:CR) Stock Price

Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) had its price target decreased by Stifel Nicolaus from $170.00 to $144.00 in a report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the conglomerate's stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Crane in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com downgraded Crane from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $170.40.

Crane Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE CR traded up $0.94 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $142.51. The company had a trading volume of 264,630 shares, compared to its average volume of 260,460. The firm's 50 day moving average is $154.50 and its 200 day moving average is $160.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.88. Crane has a fifty-two week low of $127.04 and a fifty-two week high of $188.52. The company has a market capitalization of $8.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.31.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 in the previous year, the firm posted $0.90 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This is an increase from Crane's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Crane's payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.96, for a total value of $392,011.28. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 32,963 shares in the company, valued at $5,635,354.48. This trade represents a 6.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CR. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Crane in the 4th quarter valued at $144,961,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 619.4% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 499,656 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $75,823,000 after buying an additional 430,201 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in Crane by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,455,854 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $372,676,000 after buying an additional 355,765 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Crane in the fourth quarter valued at $45,127,000. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. increased its stake in shares of Crane by 25.2% during the 4th quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 754,170 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $114,445,000 after purchasing an additional 151,717 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.