T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. Grows Position in Crane (NYSE:CR)

T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 976,497 shares of the conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 14,227 shares during the quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. owned 1.71% of Crane worth $148,184,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Crane by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 15,625 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $2,371,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Crane by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,455 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its position in Crane by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Crane by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,975 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $2,845,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of Crane by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 583 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.96, for a total transaction of $392,011.28. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 32,963 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 is available at the SEC website. 2.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Crane Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:CR traded down $0.40 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $148.36. 474,339 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 262,722. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.31. Crane has a 12 month low of $127.04 and a 12 month high of $188.52. The business's 50-day moving average price is $151.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $160.14. 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 (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The conglomerate reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.10. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%. Analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Crane Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.62%. Crane's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CR. UBS Group lifted 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. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Crane in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Crane from $170.00 to $144.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. StockNews.com downgraded Crane from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $186.00 price objective on shares of Crane and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $170.40.

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.