Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 64,786 Shares of Crane $CR

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lowered its position in Crane (NYSE:CR) by 47.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 71,627 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 64,786 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.12% of Crane worth $13,210,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Crane during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $190,533,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its position in shares of Crane by 114.8% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 439,157 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $80,866,000 after purchasing an additional 234,681 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Crane by 116.2% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 401,596 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $73,950,000 after purchasing an additional 215,815 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Crane by 84.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 431,048 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $78,300,000 after purchasing an additional 196,917 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in Crane by 48.7% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 568,276 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $104,642,000 after purchasing an additional 186,060 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Crane

In other Crane news, Director Susan D. Lynch acquired 150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $182.22 per share, for a total transaction of $27,333.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 220 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,088.40. This trade represents a 214.29% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Max H. Mitchell bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $183.71 per share, with a total value 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 $75,443,634.57. This represents a 0.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders bought 5,464 shares of company stock valued at $987,470. 2.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Crane Trading Down 2.2%

Crane stock opened at $163.88 on Friday. Crane has a one year low of $127.04 and a one year high of $214.31. The business’s fifty day moving average is $191.77 and its 200 day moving average is $188.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.45 billion, a PE ratio of 21.71, 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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $581.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $572.16 million. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%.Crane’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.38 EPS. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.75 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Wolfe Research set a $215.00 target price on Crane and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. CJS Securities upgraded shares of Crane to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Crane from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $238.00 price target on shares of Crane in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $235.00 price objective on shares of Crane in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $224.00.

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.