Insider Selling: Crane (NYSE:CR) VP Sells 2,293 Shares of Stock

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 owns 32,963 shares of the company's stock, 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 SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Crane Stock Performance

Shares of CR stock traded down $1.33 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $168.77. The stock had a trading volume of 135,546 shares, compared to its average volume of 268,433. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $161.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $160.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.66 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.24. Crane has a twelve month low of $118.48 and a twelve month high of $188.52.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $0.90 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. This is a boost from Crane's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Crane's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crane

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Crane during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Crane in the third quarter worth $30,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 81.8% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 220 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new position in Crane in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its position in Crane by 487.8% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 241 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lowered 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Crane from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson increased their target price on Crane from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.80.

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.