StockNews.com Downgrades Crane (NYSE:CR) to Hold

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Saturday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on CR. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Crane from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.80.

Crane Trading Down 0.5 %

Crane stock traded down $0.85 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $161.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 277,976 shares, compared to its average volume of 266,416. The stock's fifty day moving average is $161.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $161.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.23 billion, a PE ratio of 21.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.24. Crane has a 1 year low of $121.07 and a 1 year high of $188.52.

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

Crane Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This is a boost from Crane's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Crane's dividend payout ratio is 18.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 32,963 shares in the company, valued at $5,635,354.48. This represents a 6.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.86% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Crane

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Crane in the third quarter worth approximately $515,000. Citigroup Inc. raised its stake in Crane by 328.3% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 23,790 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $3,765,000 after purchasing an additional 18,236 shares during the period. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 50.5% in the 4th quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,535 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,447,000 after purchasing an additional 3,200 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 135,191 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $20,515,000 after purchasing an additional 2,953 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Crane by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 585,718 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $92,707,000 after buying an additional 3,188 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.