Crawford & Company (NYSE:CRD.B) Shares Gap Up Following Analyst Upgrade

Crawford & Company (NYSE:CRD.B)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Monday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The stock had previously closed at $11.59, but opened at $12.65. Crawford & Company shares last traded at $12.4060, with a volume of 3,100 shares trading hands.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Jesse C. Crawford sold 1,000,000 shares of Crawford & Company stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.81, for a total transaction of $12,810,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,447,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,968,478.28. This trade represents a 18.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrew John Bart sold 14,005 shares of Crawford & Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.32, for a total transaction of $144,531.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 113,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,170,184.80. This represents a 10.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,032,000 shares of company stock valued at $13,137,140. Corporate insiders own 51.04% of the company’s stock.

Crawford & Company Trading Up 1.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $596.49 million, a P/E ratio of 25.57 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $10.26.

Crawford & Company (NYSE:CRD.B) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.11. Crawford & Company had a return on equity of 28.15% and a net margin of 1.81%.The company had revenue of $321.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $336.09 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Crawford & Company will post 1.05 earnings per share for the current year.

About Crawford & Company

Crawford & Company (NYSE: CRD.B) is an independent provider of claims management and risk solutions to insurance carriers and self-insured entities worldwide. The company’s services span property and casualty claims adjusting, third-party administration, managed repair, catastrophe response, and risk consulting. Through its network of professionals, Crawford & Company assists clients in streamlining claims processes, controlling costs, and improving customer satisfaction across diverse lines of business.

Founded in 1941 by James O.