Crane (NYSE:CR) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Crane (NYSE:CR) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $214.61 and last traded at $214.3450, with a volume of 109161 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $209.15.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on CR shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Crane from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Crane from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Stifel Nicolaus raised Crane from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $235.00 price objective on shares of Crane in a report on Monday, June 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $226.33.

Crane Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of $185.36 and a 200 day moving average of $188.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The company has a market cap of $12.45 billion, a PE ratio of 28.55, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.12.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.21. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%.The business had revenue of $696.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $672.74 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.9% on a year-over-year basis. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Crane Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th were given a dividend of $0.255 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Crane’s payout ratio is presently 18.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Susan D. Lynch bought 150 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $177.38 per share, for a total transaction of $26,607.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,630.60. This trade represents a 68.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Crane

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. TD Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Crane during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Crane in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Crane by 57.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 180 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Crane in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Crane during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

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.