Crane (NYSE:CR) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) have been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $224.00.

Several brokerages recently commented on CR. CJS Securities raised shares of Crane to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Crane in a report on Monday, December 29th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $235.00 price target on shares of Crane in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus raised 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, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $238.00 price objective on shares of Crane in a research report on Thursday, January 29th.

Crane Stock Down 3.9%

Shares of NYSE CR opened at $190.94 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $11.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.29, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Crane has a 12 month low of $127.04 and a 12 month high of $214.31. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $197.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $189.64.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The conglomerate reported $1.53 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $572.16 million. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.38 EPS. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.75 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Crane’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Susan D. Lynch acquired 150 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The stock was bought at an average price of $182.22 per share, with a total value of $27,333.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $40,088.40. This represents a 214.29% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jennifer Pollino acquired 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $184.29 per share, with a total value of $276,435.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 1,500 shares in the company, valued at $276,435. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired a total of 5,464 shares of company stock valued at $987,470 over the last three months. Insiders own 2.12% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crane

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CR. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Crane by 27.4% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 22,060 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $3,379,000 after purchasing an additional 4,749 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Crane by 23.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 440,817 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $67,524,000 after buying an additional 84,278 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Crane by 3.2% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 136,776 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $20,951,000 after buying an additional 4,217 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in shares of Crane by 17.0% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,696 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Crane during the second quarter worth about $207,000. Institutional investors own 75.14% 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.