Gabelli Funds LLC Reduces Stock Position in Crane $CR

Gabelli Funds LLC reduced its stake in Crane (NYSE:CR) by 4.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 716,209 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 33,736 shares during the period. Crane makes up about 0.8% of Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Crane were worth $122,472,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. TD Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Crane during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Crane during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in Crane in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new position in Crane in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Crane during the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Crane Price Performance

Crane stock opened at $226.22 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $13.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.96, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.01. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $204.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $194.23. Crane has a 52 week low of $159.58 and a 52 week high of $226.99.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $696.40 million for 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 company’s revenue was up 24.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.39 EPS. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Crane Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Transactions at Crane

In related news, Director Susan D. Lynch bought 150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was acquired 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 directly owned 370 shares in the company, valued at $65,630.60. This trade represents a 68.18% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.