WINTON GROUP Ltd Sells 18,297 Shares of Crane (NYSE:CR)

WINTON GROUP Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) by 14.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 105,601 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 18,297 shares during the quarter. Crane accounts for approximately 1.1% of WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in Crane were worth $16,025,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Crane by 0.5% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 585,718 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $92,707,000 after purchasing an additional 3,188 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in Crane by 328.3% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 23,790 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $3,765,000 after acquiring an additional 18,236 shares during the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Crane during the third quarter valued at about $56,000. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 44.5% during the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 7,717 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $1,221,000 after purchasing an additional 2,376 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Crane in the third quarter worth about $95,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Crane Stock Performance

Shares of CR stock opened at $156.16 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $162.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $161.86. The stock has a market cap of $8.96 billion, a PE ratio of 20.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.30. 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 12 month low of $128.50 and a 12 month high of $188.52.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 previous year, the firm earned $0.90 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.23 dividend. 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 0.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Crane’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.96, for a total transaction of $392,011.28. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 32,963 shares in the company, valued at $5,635,354.48. This represents a 6.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Crane in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Crane from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.80.

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.