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

StockNews.com cut shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning.

CR has been the subject of a number of other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Crane from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Crane has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.80.

Crane Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of Crane stock opened at $170.14 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $9.74 billion, a PE ratio of 22.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.22. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $162.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $158.97. 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 has a 52-week low of $118.48 and a 52-week high of $188.52.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 earnings per share (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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.90 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. This is a boost from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Crane’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Matrix Trust Co acquired a new stake in Crane during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Crane in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Crane during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 81.8% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 220 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. 75.14% of the stock is 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.