Crane NYSE: CR reported record second-quarter results for 2026, citing core sales growth, margin expansion, rising backlog and stronger-than-expected contributions from its January acquisitions. The company raised its full-year adjusted earnings outlook to $6.85 to $7.05 per share, an increase of $0.20 at the midpoint.
President and CEO Alex Alcala said the quarter reflected “strong execution across the company and continued momentum across our portfolio.” Total sales increased 26% from a year earlier, including 5% core growth, while adjusted operating profit rose 37%, according to Executive Vice President and CFO Rich Maue.
Total company adjusted operating margin expanded 180 basis points to a record 21.3%. Maue said the improvement reflected higher core sales, acquisitions, productivity initiatives and favorable pricing net of inflation. The company said its adjusted results excluded a benefit from IEEPA tariff recoveries during the quarter, which it characterized as one-time recoveries not expected to materially recur during the remainder of the year.
Aerospace segment posts double-digit core growth
Crane’s Aerospace & Advanced Technologies segment generated $339 million in second-quarter sales, up 31% from the prior year. Core sales rose 13.3%, led by broad-based commercial aerospace and defense demand.
The segment’s backlog reached nearly $1.3 billion, rising 11% on a core basis from a year earlier and 7% sequentially. Including the Druck acquisition, backlog increased 20% year over year.
Alcala said Crane saw strength across commercial and military aerospace, including new program wins. During the quarter, the company was selected to supply components for GE’s RISE program and announced it would provide a brake control system for the Otto Aerospace Phantom 3500 business jet.
Crane also cited growing defense-related demand. Alcala said the company has about $35 million of current content across more than 10 missile programs, including systems related to THAAD, Patriot and Tomahawk. Customer requests for quotations and forecasts indicate demand that could expand fourfold or fivefold by the end of the decade, he said.
For the full year, Crane now expects Aerospace & Advanced Technologies core sales growth to finish slightly above its long-term range of 7% to 9%. Segment adjusted operating margin was 25.8%, compared with 26.6% a year earlier, as the acquired Druck business had a dilutive effect on margins. Maue said the segment would have been roughly 100 basis points more profitable in the quarter without the acquisition’s impact.
Process Flow backlog improves sequentially
Process Flow Technologies recorded sales of $386 million, up 21% from the prior-year period. Core sales declined 1.4%, while the Panametrics, Reuter-Stokes and optek acquisitions added nearly 22 percentage points of growth. Foreign exchange added 0.8 percentage points.
Although core foreign-exchange-neutral backlog was down 2% from a year earlier, it increased 2% sequentially. Core orders were approximately flat year over year. The segment posted adjusted operating margin of 22.2%, up about 80 basis points from the prior-year quarter despite acquisition-related dilution.
Management said demand and orders strengthened during the quarter, supporting expectations for year-over-year core growth to turn positive in the second half. Alcala pointed to improving quote activity and signs of recovery in chemical production, particularly in the Americas, alongside continued demand in industrial power generation, water and wastewater, cryogenics and nuclear-related markets.
Crane secured cryogenic projects from SpaceX and Blue Origin during the quarter. The company also said it continues to support nuclear-facility restarts, including Constellation Energy’s Crane Clean Energy Center, while pursuing future opportunities in pressurized-water reactors and small modular reactors through Reuter-Stokes.
The company maintained its full-year Process Flow Technologies outlook for core growth ranging from flat to low single digits. Maue said both volume and price are expected to contribute to second-half growth, and management expects strong operating leverage as volumes improve.
Acquisitions outperform initial expectations
Crane said the four businesses acquired in January—Panametrics, Druck, Reuter-Stokes and optek—are performing ahead of plan. Management said integrations are progressing faster than expected, synergies are arriving sooner and additional growth and margin opportunities have been identified.
As a result, Crane increased its expectation for the acquisitions’ full-year earnings contribution to about $0.20 per share, up from approximately $0.15 per share previously.
Maue said the company originally expected the acquired portfolio to grow 4% to 6% and improve margins by 200 basis points in 2026, later increasing the margin expectation to 300 basis points. He now expects growth to exceed the original range and margin improvement to reach roughly 350 basis points or more for the year.
Balance sheet supports M&A focus
Crane repaid $100 million of debt during the quarter and another $90 million after quarter-end, reducing pro forma net leverage to about 1.2 times. The company said its target leverage range is 2 times to 3 times and that acquisitions remain its primary capital-allocation priority.
Alcala said Crane’s pipeline of potential deals has “never been stronger” across both Aerospace & Advanced Technologies and Process Flow Technologies, though he said there was nothing imminent to announce. The company is seeking highly engineered, mission-critical technologies that can strengthen its franchises, expand exposure to attractive markets and support long-term margin expansion.
For the second half, Crane expects third-quarter results to be similar to the second quarter, followed by a modestly lower fourth quarter due to normal seasonality. The company continues to forecast 2026 corporate expense of $80 million to $85 million, net non-operating expense of about $58 million and a tax rate of approximately 23%.
About Crane (NYSE:CR)
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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