Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 104 Shares of Crane (NYSE:CR)

Securian Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,677 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 104 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Crane were worth $558,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Quarry LP bought a new position in Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new position in Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at about $56,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Crane by 69.1% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 372 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at about $86,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Crane Stock Up 3.2 %

NYSE:CR opened at $155.61 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $161.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $161.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.88. Crane has a one year low of $128.50 and a one year high of $188.52. The company has a market cap of $8.93 billion, a PE ratio of 20.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.30.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last posted its 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.90 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This is an increase from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. Crane’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Crane news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.96, for a total transaction of $392,011.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 32,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,635,354.48. This trade represents a 6.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Crane in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced 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. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Crane from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.80.

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.