Crane (NYSE:CR) Upgraded at BMO Capital Markets

Key Points

• BMO Capital Markets upgraded Crane to a “strong-buy” rating, adding to a generally bullish analyst backdrop for the stock.
• Other firms have also raised or maintained positive views, with Stifel Nicolaus lifting its target to $242 and MarketBeat showing a consensus rating of “Buy” with an average target price of $234.
• Crane shares were up 0.2% on Monday, and the company recently beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.65 EPS versus $1.44 expected on revenue of $696.4 million.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at BMO Capital Markets to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on CR. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $235.00 target price on shares of Crane in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Wall Street Zen cut Crane from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Crane from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Crane from $215.00 to $242.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $234.00.

Crane Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:CR opened at $217.90 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $12.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.01. Crane has a twelve month low of $159.58 and a twelve month high of $226.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $201.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $193.30.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.21. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The firm had revenue of $696.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $672.74 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.39 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 24.9% on a year-over-year basis. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Crane news, Director Susan D. Lynch acquired 150 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $177.38 per share, with a total value of $26,607.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 370 shares in the company, valued at $65,630.60. This represents a 68.18% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.12% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CR. TD Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Crane during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Crane in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in Crane in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Crane during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Crane during the first quarter valued at about $34,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Crane

Crane Co, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, is a diversified manufacturer of engineered industrial products serving customers around the world. The company operates through two primary segments: Aerospace & Electronics and Engineered Materials. Its Aerospace & Electronics division designs and produces valves, fittings, manifolds, and filtration systems for aircraft fuel, hydraulics, and environmental control systems. The Engineered Materials segment focuses on advanced polymers, heat exchangers, and specialized composite solutions for industries including chemical processing, semiconductor manufacturing, and power generation.

With roots dating back to its founding in 1855 in Chicago by R.T.

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