Crane (NYSE:CR) Shares Bought by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its stake in Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) by 36.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 132,238 shares of the conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 35,340 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned 0.23% of Crane worth $20,068,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Crane during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Crane by 81.8% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 220 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Crane during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Crane in the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Crane Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of Crane stock traded down $1.82 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $171.68. The company had a trading volume of 316,821 shares, compared to its average volume of 276,245. 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 twelve month low of $118.48 and a twelve month high of $188.52. The company has a market cap of $9.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.24. The company's 50-day moving average is $161.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $159.92.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.90 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. This is a boost from Crane's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Crane's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on CR. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com upgraded Crane from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Crane from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Crane presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $174.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Crane news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of Crane 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 32,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,635,354.48. This trade represents a 6.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Crane 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.