Crane (NYSE:CR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) have received an average recommendation of “Buy” from the eight research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $224.00.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $235.00 price objective on shares of Crane in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wolfe Research set a $215.00 price target on Crane and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. CJS Securities upgraded Crane to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Crane in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Crane from $200.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd.

Crane Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:CR opened at $200.34 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market cap of $11.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.53, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.24. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $194.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $188.87. Crane has a 12-month low of $127.04 and a 12-month high of $214.31.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last announced 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. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The business had revenue of $581.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $572.16 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.38 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.75 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Crane

In related news, Director Jennifer Pollino acquired 1,500 shares of Crane stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were bought at an average price of $184.29 per share, for a total transaction of $276,435.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 1,500 shares in the company, valued at $276,435. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan D. Lynch bought 150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $182.22 per share, with a total value of $27,333.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,088.40. This trade represents a 214.29% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 5,464 shares of company stock worth $987,470. Insiders own 2.12% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crane

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CR. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Crane by 289,020.7% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 7,855,409 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $1,448,773,000 after acquiring an additional 7,852,692 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Crane during the 4th quarter worth approximately $198,509,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in shares of Crane by 4,412.6% in the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 240,836 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $44,417,000 after purchasing an additional 235,499 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Crane by 114.8% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 439,157 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $80,866,000 after buying an additional 234,681 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Crane by 5,159.8% during the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 232,851 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $44,216,000 after buying an additional 228,424 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.