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

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on CR shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Crane from $215.00 to $242.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Crane from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Crane from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Crane in a report on Monday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $253.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $235.00 target price on shares of Crane in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.00.

Crane Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $13.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $203.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $194.00.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last released its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $696.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the company posted $1.39 EPS. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Crane Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Crane

In other Crane news, Director Susan D. Lynch acquired 150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $177.38 per share, with a total value of $26,607.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 370 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,630.60. This trade represents a 68.18% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Crane

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CR. TD Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Crane during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Crane during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Crane during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in Crane during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Crane in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Crane Company Profile

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.