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

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Crown (NYSE:CCK) from Hold to Buy, adding to a generally positive analyst backdrop. Overall, analysts now rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $120.00.
• Crown recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.86 versus $1.75 expected and revenue of $3.26 billion versus $3.03 billion expected. Revenue rose 12.9% year over year, and the company issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 7.9 to 8.3.
• The stock opened at $96.75, below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, even as institutional ownership remains high at 90.93%. Insider selling was also notable, including share sales by CEO Timothy J. Donahue and COO Djalma Novaes, Jr.

Crown (NYSE:CCK - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on shares of Crown from $115.00 to $107.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Crown in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Crown from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Crown in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $124.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Crown from $127.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Crown presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $120.00.

Crown Stock Performance

Shares of CCK opened at $96.75 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $101.77 and its 200-day moving average is $103.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.70. Crown has a 12-month low of $89.21 and a 12-month high of $116.62.

Crown (NYSE:CCK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The industrial products company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $3.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.03 billion. Crown had a net margin of 5.65% and a return on equity of 26.62%. The business's revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 EPS. Crown has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-8.300 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.200 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Crown will post 8.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Crown news, CEO Timothy J. Donahue sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.85, for a total value of $801,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 451,070 shares in the company, valued at $48,196,829.50. This trade represents a 1.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Djalma Novaes, Jr. sold 29,734 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $3,413,463.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 88,052 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,108,369.60. The trade was a 25.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 44,734 shares of company stock valued at $5,002,338. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Crown

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Crown by 105.0% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 289 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Crown during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Crown by 52.5% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Crown by 45.3% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 356 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Crown during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. 90.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Crown Company Profile

Crown Holdings, Inc is a leading global supplier of rigid packaging products for consumer goods markets. The company designs, manufactures and sells metal packaging for beverage, food, household, personal care and specialty products. Its portfolio includes aluminum and steel beverage cans, steel food cans, aluminum aerosols, metal closures and ends, offering customers end-to-end solutions from design and prototyping to large-scale production.

Founded in 1919 as the Crown Cork & Seal Company, Crown has grown through strategic acquisitions and investments in advanced manufacturing technologies.

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