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

Crane (NYSE:CR)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $205.92 and last traded at $205.2030, with a volume of 13872 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $202.93.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Crane from $202.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. DA Davidson set a $235.00 price objective on Crane in a report on Thursday, October 30th. CJS Securities upgraded Crane to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Wolfe Research set a $215.00 target price on Crane and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Crane in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two research 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $221.83.

Crane Stock Up 0.9%

The company has a 50 day moving average of $187.24 and a 200-day moving average of $187.52. 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 $11.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.24.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.18. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%.The business had revenue of $589.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $578.54 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.38 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Crane has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.750-5.950 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Crane Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. Crane’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.74%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crane

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Crane by 15.4% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 390 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Profund Advisors LLC grew its position in Crane by 5.4% in the third quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 1,119 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $206,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. MAI Capital Management grew its position in Crane by 3.1% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 1,933 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $367,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Crane by 2.0% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,254 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $618,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Crane by 10.5% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 665 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. 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.