Crane (NYSE:CR) Stock Rating Upgraded by Vertical Research

Crane (NYSE:CR) was upgraded by Vertical Research from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on CR. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Crane from $110.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Crane from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Crane from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.00.

Crane Trading Up 5.8 %

Shares of Crane stock opened at $138.27 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $130.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $115.65. Crane has a 1 year low of $67.28 and a 1 year high of $139.54. The stock has a market cap of $7.89 billion, a PE ratio of 37.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.49.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 22nd. The conglomerate reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $565.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $546.39 million. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.25 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Crane

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CR. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Crane by 99.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 287 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Crane by 40.9% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 341 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Picton Mahoney Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Crane in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $90,000. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Crane during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $201,000. Finally, Claret Asset Management Corp purchased a new stake in Crane during the 4th quarter worth approximately $201,000. 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.