Crane (NYSE:CR) Shares Sold by Wells Fargo & Company MN

Wells Fargo & Company MN trimmed its holdings in Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 82,972 shares of the conglomerate's stock after selling 2,300 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN owned approximately 0.14% of Crane worth $12,591,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in Crane by 487.8% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 241 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Crane by 69.1% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 372 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Crane during the third quarter valued at $86,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in Crane by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 583 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in shares of Crane in the 4th quarter worth $101,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Crane

In related news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of Crane 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 32,963 shares in the company, valued at $5,635,354.48. This trade represents a 6.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Crane Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of Crane stock traded up $0.94 on Friday, hitting $142.51. 264,630 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 260,642. Crane has a 52 week low of $127.04 and a 52 week high of $188.52. The company has a market cap of $8.18 billion, a PE ratio of 18.88, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.31. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $153.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $160.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 EPS 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 prior year, the business posted $0.90 EPS. Equities research analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This is a positive change from Crane's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Crane's payout ratio is 18.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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