Vanguard Group Inc. Has $712.53 Million Holdings in Crane (NYSE:CR)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,695,440 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,373 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 8.20% of Crane worth $712,533,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CR. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new position in Crane in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Crane by 69.1% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 372 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at $86,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of Crane by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 583 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $89,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Crane Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE:CR opened at $152.27 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $162.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $162.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.18. The company has a market capitalization of $8.74 billion, a PE ratio of 20.17, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.30. Crane has a 52 week low of $128.50 and a 52 week high of $188.52.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.07. Crane had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 13.10%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.90 EPS. Analysts forecast that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. This is a boost from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Crane’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on CR shares. StockNews.com cut Crane from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Crane in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Crane news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.96, for a total transaction of $392,011.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 32,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,635,354.48. This represents a 6.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.12% 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.