Crane $CR Position Raised by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) by 0.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 845,961 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,678 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 1.47% of Crane worth $144,622,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Crane by 289,020.7% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 7,855,409 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,448,773,000 after purchasing an additional 7,852,692 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its position in Crane by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,993,123 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $552,022,000 after purchasing an additional 48,679 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Crane in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $198,509,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Crane by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 917,679 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $169,282,000 after purchasing an additional 35,441 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Crane by 85.6% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 799,864 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $147,519,000 after buying an additional 368,816 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Crane

In other news, Director Susan D. Lynch acquired 150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of $177.38 per share, with a total value of $26,607.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,630.60. This represents a 68.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.12% of the company’s stock.

Crane Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CR opened at $226.22 on Monday. Crane has a 12 month low of $159.58 and a 12 month high of $226.99. The stock has a market cap of $13.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.96, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.01. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $204.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $194.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $696.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $672.74 million. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 24.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.39 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CR shares. Weiss Ratings lowered Crane from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Crane in a research report on Monday, July 20th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $253.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Crane from $215.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $235.00 price target on shares of Crane in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Crane from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $234.00.

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.