Insider Selling: Crane (NYSE:CR) VP Sells $392,011.28 in Stock

Crane (NYSE:CR) VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 32,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,635,354.48. The trade was a 6.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Crane Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE CR opened at $169.99 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The company has a market cap of $9.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.52, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.24. Crane has a 1 year low of $118.48 and a 1 year high of $188.52. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $161.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $159.99.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $0.90 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This is a positive change from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Crane’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Crane from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. DA Davidson increased 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. Stifel Nicolaus lowered 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. Finally, UBS Group increased 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.80.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crane

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Crane during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Crane during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Crane by 81.8% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 220 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Crane during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank increased its position in shares of Crane by 487.8% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 241 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.