Crane (CR) & Its Competitors Critical Contrast

Crane (NYSE:CR) is one of 436 publicly-traded companies in the “Machinery” industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its rivals? We will compare Crane to related companies based on the strength of its profitability, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, risk and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Crane and its rivals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Crane	12.41%	19.17%	10.36%
Crane Competitors	-1,044.45%	-15.01%	0.54%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Crane and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Crane	0	0	4	3	3.43
Crane Competitors	4194	14689	18187	804	2.41

Crane currently has a consensus target price of $242.00, indicating a potential upside of 16.91%. As a group, “Machinery” companies have a potential upside of 30.23%. Given Crane’s rivals higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Crane has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals.

Dividends

Crane pays an annual dividend of $1.02 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Crane pays out 17.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, “Machinery” companies pay a dividend yield of 2.7% and pay out 24.6% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Crane has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Crane and its rivals revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
Crane	$2.31 billion	$366.60 million	35.56
Crane Competitors	$4.81 billion	$363.05 million	3.86

Crane’s rivals have higher revenue, but lower earnings than Crane. Crane is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

75.1% of Crane shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 51.7% of shares of all “Machinery” companies are held by institutional investors. 2.1% of Crane shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 14.1% of shares of all “Machinery” companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility & Risk

Crane has a beta of 1.02, suggesting that its share price is 2% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Crane’s rivals have a beta of 4.68, suggesting that their average share price is 368% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Crane beats its rivals on 10 of the 15 factors compared.

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. The Aerospace & Electronics segment supplies critical components and systems, including original equipment and aftermarket parts for commercial aerospace, as well as the military aerospace, defense, and space markets. This segment also offers pressure sensors for aircraft engine control, aircraft braking systems for commercial aircraft and fighter jets, power conversion solutions for spacecraft, and lubrication systems. The Process Flow Technologies segment provides engineered fluid handling equipment for mission-critical applications. It offers process valves and related products, such as lined pipe, fittings and hoses, air-operated diaphragm and peristaltic pumps, instrumentation and sampling systems, valve positioning and control systems, and valve diagnostic and calibration systems; commercial valves; and pumps and systems. The Engineered Materials segment manufactures fiberglass-reinforced plastic panels and coils for use in the manufacturing of recreational vehicles, as well as in commercial and industrial building applications. This segment sells directly to RV, trailer, and truck manufacturers, as well as through distributors and retailers. The company provides its products and solutions to end markets, including commercial and military aerospace, defense, and space; chemical and pharmaceutical production; water and wastewater; non-residential and municipal construction; energy; and other general industrial and consumer-related applications. The company was formerly known as Crane Holdings, Co. Crane Company was founded in 1855 and is based in Stamford, Connecticut.