South Dakota Investment Council Invests $1.20 Million in Crane $CR

South Dakota Investment Council bought a new position in Crane (NYSE:CR) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 6,500 shares of the conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $1,197,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in Crane during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Crane in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Crane by 57.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 180 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in Crane by 63.4% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 219 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming raised its stake in Crane by 217.0% during the third quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 279 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Crane Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of Crane stock opened at $198.77 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $197.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $189.67. The stock has a market cap of $11.46 billion, a PE ratio of 26.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Crane has a 12 month low of $127.04 and a 12 month high of $214.31.

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

Crane Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.255 per share. This is a positive change from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. Crane’s payout ratio is 16.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research set a $215.00 target price on shares of Crane and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $238.00 price target on shares of Crane in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Crane from $200.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Crane in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $235.00 target price on shares of Crane in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $224.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Sanjay Kapoor acquired 2,814 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $177.68 per share, for a total transaction of $499,991.52. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $499,991.52. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Susan D. Lynch acquired 150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $182.22 per share, for a total transaction of $27,333.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 220 shares in the company, valued at $40,088.40. This trade represents a 214.29% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired 5,464 shares of company stock worth $987,470 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.12% 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.