Crown (NYSE:CCK) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Crown (NYSE:CCK) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on CCK. Wolfe Research set a $115.00 target price on shares of Crown in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Crown from $120.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Crown in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Crown in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Crown in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Crown currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.21.

Crown Stock Performance

NYSE:CCK opened at $98.24 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 1.03. Crown has a fifty-two week low of $75.98 and a fifty-two week high of $116.62. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $107.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $101.51. The company has a market capitalization of $11.03 billion, a PE ratio of 15.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.70.

Crown (NYSE:CCK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.05. Crown had a net margin of 5.97% and a return on equity of 26.68%. The firm had revenue of $3.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.59 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Crown has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-8.300 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.700-1.800 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Crown will post 6.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Crown Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. This is an increase from Crown’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Crown’s payout ratio is presently 21.98%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Timothy J. Donahue sold 29,024 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $3,047,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 411,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,213,380. The trade was a 6.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Djalma Novaes, Jr. sold 29,734 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $3,413,463.20. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 88,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,108,369.60. This trade represents a 25.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 73,758 shares of company stock worth $8,078,508 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Crown

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Crown by 103.1% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 264 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Crown by 105.0% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 289 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Crown during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its holdings in Crown by 52.5% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Crown by 45.3% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 356 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.93% of the company’s stock.

Crown Company Profile

Crown Holdings, Inc is a leading global supplier of rigid packaging products for consumer goods markets. The company designs, manufactures and sells metal packaging for beverage, food, household, personal care and specialty products. Its portfolio includes aluminum and steel beverage cans, steel food cans, aluminum aerosols, metal closures and ends, offering customers end-to-end solutions from design and prototyping to large-scale production.

Founded in 1919 as the Crown Cork & Seal Company, Crown has grown through strategic acquisitions and investments in advanced manufacturing technologies.