Crane (NYSE:CR) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Crane from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $174.80.

Crane Trading Down 3.9 %

NYSE CR opened at $156.66 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $162.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $161.65. The stock has a market cap of $8.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.25. Crane has a 12-month low of $122.50 and a 12-month high of $188.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) 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 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Crane

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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Crane

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Crane by 0.4% in the fourth 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% in the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,455 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC grew its position in shares of Crane by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in shares of Crane by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,196 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,244,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Finally, NorthRock Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Crane by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 1,954 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

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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