Crane (NYSE:CR) PT Raised to $150.00 at Stifel Nicolaus

Crane (NYSE:CR) had its price objective lifted by equities research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $135.00 to $150.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the conglomerate’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 15.87% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Bank of America raised their target price on Crane from $110.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. StockNews.com cut Crane from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Crane currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.00.

Crane Price Performance

Shares of Crane stock opened at $129.45 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $129.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.30. Crane has a twelve month low of $67.28 and a twelve month high of $139.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.49. 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 (NYSE:CR) last released its earnings results on Monday, January 29th. The conglomerate reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.09. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%. The firm had revenue of $532.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $519.55 million. Analysts forecast that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crane

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in shares of Crane by 40.9% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 341 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Crane by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 7,926 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $936,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Crane by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC now owns 3,560 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $421,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Crane by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,077 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Enhancement Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Crane by 1.1% in the first quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC now owns 11,920 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.