Stifel Nicolaus Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Crane (NYSE:CR) Stock Price

Crane (NYSE:CR) had its price objective reduced by equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus from $176.00 to $170.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the conglomerate’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target would suggest a potential upside of 5.45% from the stock’s previous close.

CR has been the subject of a number of other reports. UBS Group upped their target price on Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Crane from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $166.80.

Crane Price Performance

Shares of Crane stock opened at $161.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The company has a market cap of $9.23 billion, a PE ratio of 21.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.22. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $163.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $158.29. Crane has a fifty-two week low of $110.49 and a fifty-two week high of $188.52.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The conglomerate reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.06. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The business had revenue of $597.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $594.45 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crane

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CR. Matrix Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Crane during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Crane during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Crane by 81.8% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 220 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Crane during the third quarter worth $37,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.