Crane (NYSE:CR) Lowered to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

Crane (NYSE:CR) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on CR. 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 report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $166.80.

Crane Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of Crane stock traded down $4.82 on Wednesday, hitting $170.99. 401,735 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 290,446. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $163.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $158.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Crane has a 12-month low of $115.00 and a 12-month high of $188.52. The company has a market cap of $9.79 billion, a PE ratio of 22.65, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.22.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last posted 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 last year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in Crane by 42.3% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 37,104 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $5,379,000 after purchasing an additional 11,034 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC raised its position in Crane by 20.4% during the 2nd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 17,249 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $2,501,000 after purchasing an additional 2,921 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Crane during the 2nd quarter worth about $884,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Crane by 81.8% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 220 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Matrix Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Crane in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

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.