Crane (NYSE:CR) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Crane (NYSE:CR) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $174.80.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on CR shares. DA Davidson raised their price target on Crane from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group raised their price target on Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Crane from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday.

Crane Price Performance

Shares of CR opened at $156.66 on Tuesday. 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 1 year low of $122.50 and a 1 year high of $188.52. The stock has a market cap of $8.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $162.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $161.65.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.07. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This is a positive change from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Crane’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.18%.

Insider Activity at Crane

In other Crane news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.96, for a total value of $392,011.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 32,963 shares in the company, valued at $5,635,354.48. This trade represents a 6.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quarry LP bought a new position in Crane in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in Crane by 487.8% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 241 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new position in Crane in the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in Crane in the third quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Crane by 69.1% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 372 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Crane

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.