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

Shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) have been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the eight research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $224.00.

CR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wolfe Research set a $215.00 target price on shares of Crane and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. CJS Securities raised shares of Crane to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $235.00 target price on shares of Crane in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Crane from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Crane in a research note on Friday, March 27th.

Crane Stock Performance

Shares of CR opened at $168.33 on Friday. Crane has a 1 year low of $127.04 and a 1 year high of $214.31. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average price is $188.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $187.94. The firm has a market cap of $9.71 billion, a PE ratio of 22.29, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.18.

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

Crane Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a $0.255 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. 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 0.6%. Crane’s payout ratio is currently 16.32%.

Insider Activity at Crane

In other news, CEO Max H. Mitchell purchased 1,000 shares of Crane stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $183.71 per share, for a total transaction of $183,710.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 410,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $75,443,634.57. This trade represents a 0.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jennifer Pollino purchased 1,500 shares of Crane stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $184.29 per share, with a total value of $276,435.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $276,435. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have bought 5,464 shares of company stock valued at $987,470 in the last quarter. 2.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Crane

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CR. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Crane by 27.4% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 22,060 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $3,379,000 after acquiring an additional 4,749 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position 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 holdings in shares of Crane by 3.2% during 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 purchasing an additional 4,217 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Crane in the second quarter worth approximately $207,000. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

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.