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

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on CR shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Crane from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Crane in a report on Monday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $253.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Crane from $215.00 to $242.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Crane from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $235.00 price objective on shares of Crane in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Three research 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.00.

Crane Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.18. The company has a market capitalization of $13.01 billion, a PE ratio of 29.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $203.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $194.00.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.21. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The business had revenue of $696.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $672.74 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 24.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate 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, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a $0.255 dividend. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. Crane’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.35%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Susan D. Lynch purchased 150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $177.38 per share, for a total transaction of $26,607.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,630.60. This trade represents a 68.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.12% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crane

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. InTrack Investment Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. InTrack Investment Management Inc now owns 1,607 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $296,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in Crane by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,167 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in Crane by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 16,797 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $3,098,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Crane by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 3,245 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $616,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aviva PLC increased its position in Crane by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 2,671 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $493,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. 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.