Hudson Bay Capital Management LP Takes Position in Crane $CR

Hudson Bay Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 20,140 shares of the conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $3,709,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of Crane by 0.7% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,944,444 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $542,190,000 after purchasing an additional 21,901 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Crane in the 2nd quarter valued at about $190,533,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Crane by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 776,700 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $143,022,000 after buying an additional 17,132 shares during the last quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. grew its position in shares of Crane by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 736,943 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $139,938,000 after buying an additional 8,151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its stake in Crane by 48.7% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 568,276 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $104,642,000 after acquiring an additional 186,060 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Crane

In other news, Director Sanjay Kapoor bought 2,814 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $177.68 per share, with a total value of $499,991.52. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 2,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $499,991.52. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Max H. Mitchell purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $183.71 per share, with a total value of $183,710.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 410,667 shares in the company, valued at $75,443,634.57. The trade was a 0.24% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders acquired 5,464 shares of company stock worth $987,470 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on CR shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Crane from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Wolfe Research set a $215.00 price target on Crane and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. CJS Securities upgraded Crane to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $238.00 price objective on shares of Crane in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Crane in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $224.00.

Crane Stock Down 3.6%

Crane stock opened at $168.00 on Friday. Crane has a 52 week low of $127.04 and a 52 week high of $214.31. The stock has a market cap of $9.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.25, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.18. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $195.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $188.87. 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 (NYSE:CR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The conglomerate reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.10. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The business had revenue of $581.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $572.16 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.38 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.75 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Crane Increases Dividend

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

Crane Company 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.