Crane $CR Shares Bought by Sandhill Capital Partners LLC

Sandhill Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) by 56.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 95,368 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,296 shares during the period. Crane comprises 1.2% of Sandhill Capital Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Sandhill Capital Partners LLC owned 0.17% of Crane worth $17,561,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CR. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. purchased a new position in Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,651,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Crane by 8.2% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 489,810 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $90,196,000 after acquiring an additional 37,026 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Crane by 86.8% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 136,413 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $25,119,000 after acquiring an additional 63,401 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Crane by 5,159.8% in the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 232,851 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $44,216,000 after acquiring an additional 228,424 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Crane in the third quarter valued at about $1,006,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Crane Trading Down 3.9%

NYSE:CR opened at $190.94 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $197.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $189.64. 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 12-month low of $127.04 and a 12-month high of $214.31.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The conglomerate reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.10. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%.The firm had revenue of $581.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $572.16 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.38 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.75 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $0.255 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Crane’s payout ratio is 16.32%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Max H. Mitchell bought 1,000 shares of Crane stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $183.71 per share, with a total value of $183,710.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 410,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $75,443,634.57. This trade represents a 0.24% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Susan D. Lynch bought 150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $182.22 per share, with a total value of $27,333.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 220 shares in the company, valued at $40,088.40. The trade was a 214.29% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders acquired a total of 5,464 shares of company stock worth $987,470 over the last three months. Insiders own 2.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CR shares. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $235.00 price objective on shares of Crane in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Wolfe Research set a $215.00 target price on Crane and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $238.00 price target on shares of Crane in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Crane from $200.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, CJS Securities upgraded shares of Crane to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $224.00.

About Crane

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.