Quantbot Technologies LP Increases Holdings in Crane (NYSE:CR)

Quantbot Technologies LP raised its position in Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) by 112.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,372 shares of the conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 8,655 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP's holdings in Crane were worth $2,484,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Crane in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new stake in Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Crane in the 3rd quarter worth $56,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Crane by 69.1% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 372 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Crane during the 3rd quarter worth $86,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Crane Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of Crane stock traded down $0.05 on Thursday, reaching $156.02. The company had a trading volume of 335,142 shares, compared to its average volume of 236,769. 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 firm has a market cap of $8.96 billion, a PE ratio of 20.66, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.30. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $162.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $161.86. Crane has a 52-week low of $128.50 and a 52-week high of $188.52.

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

Crane Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This is a positive change from Crane's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. Crane's dividend payout ratio is 18.18%.

Insider Transactions at Crane

In other news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.96, for a total value of $392,011.28. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 32,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Crane from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. UBS Group upped 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. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Crane in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $174.80.

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.