Crane (NYSE:CR) Lowered to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Saturday.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on CR. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Crane from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.80.

Crane Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CR opened at $162.10 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.18. The company has a market cap of $9.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $161.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $161.21. Crane has a 52-week low of $121.07 and a 52-week high of $188.52.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.07. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.90 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This is a boost from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Crane’s payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of Crane stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.96, for a total transaction of $392,011.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 32,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,635,354.48. The trade was a 6.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.86% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Crane

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its position in Crane by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 18,447 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,799,000 after buying an additional 188 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Crane by 15.0% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 132,559 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $20,116,000 after buying an additional 17,295 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Crane in the 4th quarter valued at about $8,232,000. Twinbeech Capital LP boosted its position in Crane by 65.6% in the 4th quarter. Twinbeech Capital LP now owns 46,422 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,045,000 after buying an additional 18,395 shares during the period. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. boosted its position in Crane by 25.2% in the 4th quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 754,170 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $114,445,000 after buying an additional 151,717 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Crane Company Profile

Crane Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells engineered industrial products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Aerospace & Electronics, Process Flow Technologies, and Engineered Materials.