Simmons Bank Makes New Investment in Crane $CR

Simmons Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,363 shares of the conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $404,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CR. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in Crane by 27.4% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 22,060 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $3,379,000 after acquiring an additional 4,749 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 23.6% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 440,817 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $67,524,000 after acquiring an additional 84,278 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of Crane by 3.2% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 136,776 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $20,951,000 after acquiring an additional 4,217 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of Crane by 17.0% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,696 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $257,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Crane during the second quarter valued at approximately $207,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Crane Price Performance

NYSE CR opened at $222.93 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $190.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $190.38. Crane has a 52 week low of $159.58 and a 52 week high of $226.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.53, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.12.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $696.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $672.74 million. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The firm’s revenue was up 24.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.39 earnings per share. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Crane Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. Crane’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Crane

In other Crane news, Director Susan D. Lynch acquired 150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $177.38 per share, with a total value of $26,607.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 370 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,630.60. The trade was a 68.18% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 2.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Crane from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Crane from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Stifel Nicolaus raised Crane from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $200.00 to $215.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $235.00 price target on shares of Crane in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $226.33.

About Crane

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.