VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Invests $2.56 Million in Crane $CR

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 11,500 shares of the conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $2,565,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of CR. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in Crane by 21,021.6% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 12,301,418 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $2,744,077,000 after buying an additional 12,243,177 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 289,020.7% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 7,855,409 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,448,773,000 after acquiring an additional 7,852,692 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Crane by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,993,123 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $552,022,000 after acquiring an additional 48,679 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Crane in the fourth quarter worth approximately $198,509,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Crane by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 917,679 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $169,282,000 after purchasing an additional 35,441 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director James Tullis sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.38, for a total value of $82,152.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 5,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,031,212.98. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Crane from $215.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Crane in a research note on Monday, July 20th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $253.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings cut Crane from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. DA Davidson raised their price target on Crane from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $240.00 price objective on Crane in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have given a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.00.

Crane Stock Down 1.7%

CR opened at $198.06 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.80, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Crane has a 1-year low of $159.58 and a 1-year high of $230.50. The company has a market capitalization of $11.45 billion, a PE ratio of 34.63, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $214.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $197.46.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The conglomerate reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $724.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $708.46 million. Crane had a net margin of 12.97% and a return on equity of 18.67%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.49 EPS. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.050 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Crane will post 6.99 EPS for the current year.

Crane Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st were given a $0.255 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Crane’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.83%.

Crane Profile

Crane Company (NYSE: CR) is a diversified industrial technology company that develops and manufactures highly engineered products for aerospace, process industries, and payment and merchandising applications. Its offerings are used in demanding operating environments where reliability, safety, and specialized performance are important.

The company operates through businesses focused on aerospace and electronics, process flow technologies, and payment and merchandising technologies. Its products include aerospace components and systems, engineered valves and pumps, fluid-handling equipment, payment acceptance and vending solutions, and related technologies used by commercial, industrial, and infrastructure customers.

Crane traces its origins to 1855, when Richard Teller Crane established the company in Chicago.