Crane (NYSE:CR) Receives $174.80 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Crane (NYSE:CR) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $174.80.

Several research analysts recently commented on CR shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Crane from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Crane from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target 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. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.96, for a total transaction of $392,011.28. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 32,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,635,354.48. The trade was a 6.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crane

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in Crane by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 15,625 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $2,371,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Crane by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,455 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in Crane by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Crane by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,975 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $2,845,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp raised its position in Crane by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 7,336 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $1,161,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Crane Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE CR opened at $168.77 on Friday. 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 52 week low of $118.48 and a 52 week high of $188.52. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $161.22 and its 200 day moving average is $160.05. The company has a market cap of $9.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.35, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.24.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the business earned $0.90 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This is a boost from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Crane’s payout ratio is 18.18%.

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.