AlphaQuest LLC Raises Stock Position in Crane $CR

AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) by 784.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,555 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,119 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Crane were worth $3,969,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CR. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in shares of Crane in the third quarter worth $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Crane in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in Crane by 63.4% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 219 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Crane by 15.4% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 390 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Crane Trading Down 1.7%

NYSE:CR opened at $179.24 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.24. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $191.41 and a 200 day moving average of $188.55. Crane has a 52 week low of $127.04 and a 52 week high of $214.31.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $581.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $572.16 million. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The company’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.38 EPS. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.75 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This is a positive change from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Crane’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Crane from $200.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. CJS Securities raised shares of Crane to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Wolfe Research set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Crane and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $235.00 target price on shares of Crane in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Crane in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $224.00.

Crane Profile

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.