Stifel Nicolaus Boosts Crane (NYSE:CR) Price Target to $150.00

Crane (NYSE:CR) had its target price boosted by Stifel Nicolaus from $135.00 to $150.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the conglomerate’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on CR. Bank of America upped their price target on Crane from $110.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. StockNews.com lowered Crane from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $125.00.

Crane Stock Up 0.1 %

CR opened at $129.54 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $129.57 and its 200-day moving average is $114.60. Crane has a one year low of $67.28 and a one year high of $139.34. The company has a market capitalization of $7.40 billion, a PE ratio of 35.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.18.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 29th. The conglomerate reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $532.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $519.55 million. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. On average, equities analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a $0.205 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.63%. This is a positive change from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Crane’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Money Concepts Capital Corp acquired a new stake in Crane during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 99.3% during the third quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 287 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Amundi purchased a new position in Crane during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Crane by 40.9% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 341 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. purchased a new stake in Crane in the 1st quarter worth approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

About Crane

Crane Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells engineered industrial products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Aerospace & Electronics, Process Flow Technologies, and Engineered Materials.