Capital International Investors Reduces Position in Crane (NYSE:CR)

Capital International Investors lessened its stake in Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,392,959 shares of the conglomerate's stock after selling 76,948 shares during the period. Capital International Investors owned about 2.43% of Crane worth $211,382,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CR. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Crane by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 15,625 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $2,371,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Crane by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,455 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $221,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Crane by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $218,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Crane by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,975 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $2,845,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in Crane by 17.8% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 583 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Crane Stock Up 1.1 %

CR traded up $1.48 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $141.89. 385,356 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 261,944. Crane has a 1 year low of $127.04 and a 1 year high of $188.52. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $8.14 billion, a PE ratio of 18.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $152.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $160.33.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.07. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.90 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a 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 dividend payout ratio is 18.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Crane

In other news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.96, for a total transaction of $392,011.28. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $186.00 price objective on shares of Crane and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Crane from $170.00 to $144.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Crane from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Crane in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $170.40.

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.