Crane (NYSE:CR) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Crane (NYSE:CR) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $226.79 and last traded at $226.2180, with a volume of 421271 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $218.10.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CR. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Crane in a report on Monday, July 20th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $253.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Crane from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Crane from $215.00 to $242.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $235.00 price objective on shares of Crane in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Crane from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.00.

Crane Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $204.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $194.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.01.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $696.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $672.74 million. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 24.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.39 EPS. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Crane Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a $0.255 dividend. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. Crane’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.35%.

Insider Transactions at Crane

In related news, Director Susan D. Lynch bought 150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was bought at an average price of $177.38 per share, with a total value of $26,607.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,630.60. This represents a 68.18% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Crane

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. TD Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Crane in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Crane during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Crane during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Crane in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Crane Company Profile

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.