Crane (NYSE:CR) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Crane (NYSE:CR) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $137.00.

Several research firms have recently commented on CR. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Crane from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 27th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Crane from $142.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Crane from $150.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Vertical Research upgraded shares of Crane from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Crane from $110.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th.

Crane Price Performance

Shares of CR opened at $145.24 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.18. Crane has a fifty-two week low of $71.33 and a fifty-two week high of $146.52. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $134.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $119.57. The company has a market capitalization of $8.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.49.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 22nd. The conglomerate reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.10. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%. The company had revenue of $565.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $546.39 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.25 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, 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 will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be issued a $0.205 dividend. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. Crane’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.98%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its position in Crane by 1.3% during the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 42,763 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $5,779,000 after buying an additional 567 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in Crane during the 1st quarter worth about $2,210,000. Whittier Trust Co. raised its stake in Crane by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 2,317 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC purchased a new position in Crane in the 1st quarter valued at about $911,000. Finally, Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Crane by 78.8% during the 1st quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,899 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $932,000 after purchasing an additional 3,041 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Crane Company Profile

Crane Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells engineered industrial products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Aerospace & Electronics, Process Flow Technologies, and Engineered Materials.