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

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) had its price objective reduced by research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $176.00 to $170.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "hold" rating on the conglomerate's stock. Stifel Nicolaus' price target indicates a potential upside of 5.45% from the company's current price.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on CR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Crane from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $166.80.

Crane Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of CR stock traded down $1.70 on Friday, hitting $161.21. 490,222 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 237,581. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.18. Crane has a twelve month low of $110.49 and a twelve month high of $188.52. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $163.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $158.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.23 billion, a PE ratio of 21.35, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.22.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The conglomerate reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $597.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $594.45 million. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.03 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Crane

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of Crane by 204.5% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 20,100 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $2,914,000 after acquiring an additional 13,500 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of Crane during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $159,000. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 69.3% in the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,530 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $512,000 after buying an additional 1,445 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in shares of Crane by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 55,877 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $8,100,000 after buying an additional 1,850 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Crane by 11.9% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 192,452 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $27,902,000 after acquiring an additional 20,518 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.