Crane (NYSE:CR) Upgraded to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Thursday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on CR. DA Davidson raised their price target on Crane from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Crane currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.80.

Crane Price Performance

CR stock opened at $172.71 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.18. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $162.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $159.51. Crane has a one year low of $118.48 and a one year high of $188.52. The company has a market capitalization of $9.88 billion, a PE ratio of 22.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.22.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.07. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.90 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. This is an increase from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Crane’s payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Institutional Trading of Crane

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Matrix Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Crane in the third quarter valued at $25,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Crane in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Crane in the third quarter worth about $30,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Crane by 81.8% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 220 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Crane during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Crane

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.