Crane (NYSE:CR) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. CJS Securities raised Crane to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Crane from $200.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $235.00 price objective on shares of Crane in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Crane in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $238.00 target price on shares of Crane in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Crane presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $224.00.

Crane Trading Up 1.7%

CR opened at $174.14 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $10.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.18. Crane has a 12 month low of $127.04 and a 12 month high of $214.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $197.17 and a 200 day moving average of $189.21.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The conglomerate reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $581.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $572.16 million. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.38 earnings per share. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.75 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $0.255 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Crane’s dividend payout ratio is 16.32%.

Insider Activity at Crane

In other Crane news, Director Sanjay Kapoor bought 2,814 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $177.68 per share, for a total transaction of $499,991.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,814 shares in the company, valued at $499,991.52. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jennifer Pollino bought 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $184.29 per share, with a total value of $276,435.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 1,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $276,435. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have bought 5,464 shares of company stock worth $987,470 over the last quarter. 2.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. InTrack Investment Management Inc boosted its position in Crane by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. InTrack Investment Management Inc now owns 1,607 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $296,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Crane by 15.4% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 390 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Crane by 5.4% during the third quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 1,119 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $206,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. MAI Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Crane by 3.1% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 1,933 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $367,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Crane by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,167 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $215,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Crane Company Profile

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.