Crane (NYSE:CR) Shares Sold by Jump Financial LLC

Jump Financial LLC decreased its position in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) by 17.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,958 shares of the conglomerate's stock after selling 4,350 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC's holdings in Crane were worth $3,180,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of CR. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Crane in the 4th quarter valued at about $144,961,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in Crane by 619.4% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 499,656 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $75,823,000 after purchasing an additional 430,201 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Crane in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,127,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Crane by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,425,015 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $216,246,000 after purchasing an additional 138,279 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Crane during the fourth quarter worth approximately $12,890,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Crane Stock Performance

NYSE:CR traded up $4.79 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $145.20. 128,215 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 315,280. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a 50-day moving average of $152.68 and a 200 day moving average of $160.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Crane has a 1-year low of $127.04 and a 1-year high of $188.52.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.90 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.63%. This is an increase from Crane's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Crane's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Crane in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $186.00 target price on shares of Crane and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Crane from $170.00 to $144.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. StockNews.com cut shares of Crane from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $170.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Crane news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 32,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,635,354.48. This represents a 6.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.