Crane (NYSE:CR) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) have earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $224.00.

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Crane from $200.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $238.00 price objective on shares of Crane in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. CJS Securities upgraded Crane to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $235.00 price target on shares of Crane in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Crane and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th.

Crane Stock Performance

Shares of CR stock opened at $200.39 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.54 billion, a PE ratio of 26.54, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $193.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $188.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.88. Crane has a one year low of $127.04 and a one year high of $214.31.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The conglomerate reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.10. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The firm had revenue of $581.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $572.16 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.38 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.75 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a $0.255 dividend. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. Crane’s payout ratio is presently 16.32%.

Insider Activity at Crane

In related news, Director Susan D. Lynch acquired 150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The shares were bought at an average price of $182.22 per share, with a total value of $27,333.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $40,088.40. This trade represents a 214.29% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Max H. Mitchell bought 1,000 shares of Crane stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $183.71 per share, with a total value of $183,710.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 410,667 shares in the company, valued at $75,443,634.57. This trade represents a 0.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought a total of 5,464 shares of company stock worth $987,470 over the last three months. 2.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crane

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CR. First Horizon Corp acquired a new stake in Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Crane during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Crane by 57.9% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 180 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Crane in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Crane during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Crane

Crane Co, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, is a diversified manufacturer of engineered industrial products serving customers around the world. The company operates through two primary segments: Aerospace & Electronics and Engineered Materials. Its Aerospace & Electronics division designs and produces valves, fittings, manifolds, and filtration systems for aircraft fuel, hydraulics, and environmental control systems. The Engineered Materials segment focuses on advanced polymers, heat exchangers, and specialized composite solutions for industries including chemical processing, semiconductor manufacturing, and power generation.

With roots dating back to its founding in 1855 in Chicago by R.T.