Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 205 Shares of Crane (NYSE:CR)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its position in Crane (NYSE:CR) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 44,341 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 205 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Crane were worth $5,239,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Crane by 40.9% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 341 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. bought a new stake in Crane in the 4th quarter worth approximately $203,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC bought a new stake in Crane in the 4th quarter worth approximately $207,000. Cadent Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Crane during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $246,000. Finally, Cetera Trust Company N.A bought a new position in shares of Crane during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $247,000. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Crane from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 27th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Crane from $150.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Crane from $110.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Vertical Research raised Crane from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their target price on Crane from $142.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Crane has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.00.

Crane Price Performance

CR opened at $144.18 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $135.01 and a 200 day moving average of $119.91. Crane has a 52-week low of $71.33 and a 52-week high of $146.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $8.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.65, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.49.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 22nd. The conglomerate reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.10. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%. The business had revenue of $565.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $546.39 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.25 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current year.

Crane Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be issued a $0.205 dividend. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. Crane’s dividend payout ratio is 21.98%.

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.