Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Decreases Stock Position in Crane $CR

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its stake in Crane (NYSE:CR) by 1.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 819,004 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 15,523 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 1.42% of Crane worth $150,802,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CR. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Crane in the second quarter valued at $190,533,000. Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Crane by 5,159.8% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 232,851 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $44,216,000 after purchasing an additional 228,424 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Crane by 299.7% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 234,131 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $43,876,000 after purchasing an additional 175,554 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Crane by 117.5% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 216,314 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $41,076,000 after purchasing an additional 116,881 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in Crane by 23.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 440,817 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $67,524,000 after purchasing an additional 84,278 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Crane Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:CR opened at $190.13 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $197.92 and its 200 day moving average is $189.64. The stock has a market cap of $10.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.18. Crane has a 52-week low of $127.04 and a 52-week high of $214.31. 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 issued its earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The conglomerate reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.10. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%.The business had revenue of $581.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $572.16 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.38 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.75 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a $0.255 dividend. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost 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 currently 16.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Crane in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $238.00 price target on shares of Crane in a report on Thursday, January 29th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $235.00 price target on shares of Crane in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Crane from $200.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, CJS Securities raised Crane to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Two investment 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $224.00.

Insider Activity at Crane

In other news, SVP Jason D. Feldman sold 2,693 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.95, for a total value of $543,851.35. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 10,639 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,148,546.05. This represents a 20.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Max H. Mitchell acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $183.71 per share, for a total transaction of $183,710.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 410,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $75,443,634.57. This represents a 0.24% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders purchased 5,464 shares of company stock worth $987,470 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.12% of the company’s stock.

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.