Crown (NYSE:CCK) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Buy"

Crown (NYSE:CCK - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Crown from $109.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Crown from $89.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Crown from $109.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Crown from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Crown from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $110.45.

Crown Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:CCK traded down $1.63 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $99.78. The company had a trading volume of 803,937 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,232,931. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.03, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.76. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $94.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $89.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Crown has a one year low of $70.84 and a one year high of $102.00.

Crown (NYSE:CCK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.45. The firm had revenue of $2.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.82 billion. Crown had a net margin of 3.59% and a return on equity of 25.12%. The firm's revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.02 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Crown will post 6.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Crown news, VP Christy L. Kalaus sold 2,130 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.41, for a total transaction of $211,743.30. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $447,345. The trade was a 32.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Gerard H. Gifford sold 7,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total value of $679,000.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 135,014 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,096,358. The trade was a 4.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Crown

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Crown by 47.6% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 332 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Crown by 45.3% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 356 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Crown by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,858 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Crown by 20.0% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 702 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in Crown by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 2,864 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.93% of the company's stock.

Crown Company Profile

Crown Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the packaging business in the United States and internationally. It operates through Americas Beverage, European Beverage, Asia Pacific, and Transit Packaging segments. The company manufactures and sells recyclable aluminum beverage cans and ends, glass bottles, steel crowns, aluminum caps, non-beverage cans, and aerosol cans and closures.