Crane (NYSE:CR) Hits New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Crane (NYSE:CR)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $210.00 and last traded at $210.11, with a volume of 24354 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $205.78.

Key Crane News

Here are the key news stories impacting Crane this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly beat and guidance — Crane reported $1.64 EPS vs. $1.46 expected and revenue above estimates; management set FY?2025 EPS guidance at $5.75–$5.95 and the company shows strong ROE and net margin metrics, supporting the bullish move. CR stock MarketBeat profile
• Neutral Sentiment: Representative Elijah Crane bills (e.g., H.R.6959, H.R.6941) were filed — these are legislative items tied to a person named Crane and do not relate to Crane, Inc.’s operations or financials. New Bill: Representative Elijah Crane introduces H.R. 6959
• Neutral Sentiment: Yongmao tower crane legal update — court dates for Yongmao Holdings (a Singapore-based crane/tower manufacturer) were adjourned; this concerns a different company and should not materially affect Crane (CR). Yongmao Tower Crane Accident Cases in Hong Kong Adjourned to July 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Crane-related accidents and OSHA reports (SpaceX crane inspection, video of collapses) may increase headline noise and sector safety scrutiny but are unlikely to change Crane’s diversified industrial earnings profile in the near term. SpaceX didn’t properly inspect crane before collapse at Starbase, OSHA says
• Negative Sentiment: Liquidity and valuation risks — today’s uptick is on below?average volume, and CR trades at a mid?teens P/E tail (P/E ~27.9) with PEG ~1.93; low volume and the stock’s elevated multiple increase volatility and downside risk if macro or execution issues surface. CR stock MarketBeat profile

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Crane in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wolfe Research set a $215.00 price target on Crane and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Crane from $202.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. DA Davidson set a $235.00 price objective on shares of Crane in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, CJS Securities upgraded shares of Crane to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.83.

Crane Stock Up 2.0%

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $189.26 and its 200-day moving average is $188.15. The firm has a market cap of $12.09 billion, a PE ratio of 27.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.18. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%.The company had revenue of $589.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $578.54 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.38 EPS. Crane’s revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Crane has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.750-5.950 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect 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, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th were issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Crane’s payout ratio is 14.74%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Crane

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CR. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Crane in the 2nd quarter valued at $190,533,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its holdings in Crane by 114.8% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 439,157 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $80,866,000 after acquiring an additional 234,681 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its position in Crane by 5,159.8% during the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 232,851 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $44,216,000 after acquiring an additional 228,424 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Crane by 116.2% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 401,596 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $73,950,000 after acquiring an additional 215,815 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Crane by 84.1% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 431,048 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $78,300,000 after purchasing an additional 196,917 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.