Crane (NYSE:CR) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $170.40.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CR. StockNews.com lowered shares of Crane from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Crane from $170.00 to $144.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Crane in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $186.00 price objective on Crane and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd.

Crane Trading Up 2.3 %

NYSE:CR opened at $139.97 on Wednesday. The business's 50-day moving average is $152.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $160.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.03 billion, a PE ratio of 18.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.31. Crane has a 12 month low of $127.04 and a 12 month high of $188.52. 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 (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $0.90 EPS. Research analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This is an increase from Crane's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Crane's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.18%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of Crane stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,635,354.48. The trade was a 6.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.12% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crane

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CR. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Crane in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,459,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Crane in the third quarter valued at $86,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 19.9% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 6,017 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $952,000 after acquiring an additional 997 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its position in shares of Crane by 3.2% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 132,200 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $20,925,000 after acquiring an additional 4,096 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Crane by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 128,577 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $20,351,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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