Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 44,344 Shares of Crane $CR

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its position in Crane (NYSE:CR) by 9.1% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 442,031 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 44,344 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Crane were worth $75,588,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Crane by 289,020.7% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 7,855,409 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $1,448,773,000 after purchasing an additional 7,852,692 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Crane in the 4th quarter valued at about $198,509,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Crane in the 4th quarter valued at about $76,171,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Crane by 85.6% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 799,864 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $147,519,000 after acquiring an additional 368,816 shares during the period. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in Crane by 4,412.6% during the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 240,836 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $44,417,000 after acquiring an additional 235,499 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Crane Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:CR opened at $219.43 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $199.61 and its 200 day moving average is $192.88. The company has a market cap of $12.67 billion, a PE ratio of 29.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.01. 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 1 year low of $159.58 and a 1 year high of $226.46.

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

Crane Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Susan D. Lynch purchased 150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $177.38 per share, for a total transaction of $26,607.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 370 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,630.60. The trade was a 68.18% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.