Fmr LLC Has $434.73 Million Stock Holdings in Crane (NYSE:CR)

FMR LLC reduced its holdings in Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) by 20.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,864,770 shares of the conglomerate's stock after selling 742,525 shares during the quarter. FMR LLC owned approximately 5.01% of Crane worth $434,729,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of CR. Aviva PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Crane during the 4th quarter worth approximately $538,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Crane during the 3rd quarter valued at $515,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Crane in the 4th quarter valued at $12,890,000. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in Crane by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 135,191 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $20,515,000 after buying an additional 2,953 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Crane by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 323,272 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $49,057,000 after purchasing an additional 8,552 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Crane in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Crane from $170.00 to $144.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Crane from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $169.60.

Insider Transactions at Crane

In other news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.96, for a total transaction of $392,011.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Crane Stock Performance

CR stock traded up $2.26 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $143.56. The stock had a trading volume of 53,701 shares, compared to its average volume of 257,902. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $156.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $161.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.24 billion, a PE ratio of 19.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.31. 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 fifty-two week low of $127.04 and a fifty-two week high of $188.52.

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

Crane Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.64%. This is a boost from Crane's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Crane's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

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.