Crane $CR Shares Sold by Congress Asset Management Co.

Congress Asset Management Co. lessened its holdings in Crane (NYSE:CR) by 17.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 424,003 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 89,832 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. owned about 0.74% of Crane worth $78,199,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Crane by 21.7% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,712 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,694,000 after purchasing an additional 2,444 shares in the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC acquired a new position in shares of Crane during the fourth quarter worth about $285,000. Wedmont Private Capital acquired a new position in shares of Crane during the fourth quarter worth about $238,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Crane by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 4,939 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $911,000 after buying an additional 709 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Crane by 44.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 183,787 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,843,000 after buying an additional 56,324 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Max H. Mitchell bought 1,000 shares of the business’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 purchase, the chief executive officer owned 410,667 shares in the company, valued at $75,443,634.57. This trade represents a 0.24% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Sanjay Kapoor purchased 2,814 shares of Crane stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $177.68 per share, for a total transaction of $499,991.52. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $499,991.52. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders purchased a total of 5,464 shares of company stock worth $987,470 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Crane from $200.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. CJS Securities raised shares of Crane to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Crane in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wolfe Research set a $215.00 target price on shares of Crane and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Crane from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Crane presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $224.00.

Crane Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CR opened at $174.17 on Tuesday. Crane has a fifty-two week low of $127.04 and a fifty-two week high of $214.31. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $194.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $188.84. 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 firm has a market cap of $10.04 billion, a PE ratio of 23.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.18.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last announced its earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The conglomerate reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $581.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $572.16 million. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%.Crane’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.38 EPS. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.75 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a $0.255 dividend. This is a boost from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. Crane’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.32%.

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.