Crane (NYSE:CR) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at BMO Capital Markets

Crane (NYSE:CR) was upgraded by analysts at BMO Capital Markets to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

CR has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wall Street Zen cut Crane from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Crane from $215.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Crane from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $235.00 price objective on shares of Crane in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Crane currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $234.00.

Crane Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of CR opened at $216.97 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $12.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.01. 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 has a 12 month low of $159.58 and a 12 month high of $226.46. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $201.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $193.53.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.21. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%.The company had revenue of $696.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $672.74 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.39 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 24.9% on a year-over-year basis. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Susan D. Lynch purchased 150 shares of Crane stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $177.38 per share, for a total transaction of $26,607.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 370 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,630.60. This represents a 68.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crane

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. TD Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Crane in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Crane during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Crane during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Crane during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Crane News

Here are the key news stories impacting Crane this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets upgraded Crane (CR) to strong-buy, reinforcing a bullish analyst view on the company. Crane upgraded by BMO Capital Markets to strong-buy
• Positive Sentiment: Crane’s recent earnings report was solid, with the company beating consensus on both EPS and revenue and raising FY2026 guidance, which may continue to support the stock over time.
• Neutral Sentiment: News items about crane accidents and collapses appear unrelated to Crane Company (CR) and are unlikely to affect the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: General analyst commentary from other sources also points to renewed attention on Crane, but no additional material company-specific developments were reported.

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.