Rhumbline Advisers Has $20.52 Million Position in Crane (NYSE:CR)

Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 135,191 shares of the conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 2,953 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned about 0.24% of Crane worth $20,515,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Insider Activity at Crane

In other Crane news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the company's 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 32,963 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,635,354.48. This represents a 6.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Crane from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Crane from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group increased their price target on Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $174.80.

Crane Trading Down 3.7 %

Crane stock traded down $6.27 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $165.23. The stock had a trading volume of 494,520 shares, compared to its average volume of 268,104. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.46 billion, a PE ratio of 21.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.18. Crane has a twelve month low of $121.04 and a twelve month high of $188.52. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $161.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $160.67.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm earned $0.90 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. This is a positive change from Crane's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Crane's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

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.