Crane (NYSE:CR) Shares Bought by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) by 0.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 585,816 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Crane were worth $88,898,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CR. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Crane during the 3rd quarter worth $208,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 112.2% in the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 6,378 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,010,000 after buying an additional 3,373 shares during the period. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 285.1% in the 3rd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,340 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $212,000 after buying an additional 992 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at about $211,000. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 29,789 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $4,715,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Crane Trading Up 1.8 %

Crane stock opened at $154.29 on Monday. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $161.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $161.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.44, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.30. Crane has a 52-week low of $127.82 and a 52-week high of $188.52.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last posted its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.07. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.90 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.60%. This is an increase from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Crane’s payout ratio is 18.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Crane news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.96, for a total transaction of $392,011.28. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 32,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,635,354.48. The trade was a 6.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on CR. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Crane from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Crane from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.80.

Crane Company Profile

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.