Crane (NYSE:CR) Price Target Raised to $226.00 at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) had its target price increased by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $187.00 to $226.00 in a report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the conglomerate's stock.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Crane from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Crane in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Crane from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Crane from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $197.75.

Crane Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CR traded up $0.40 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $186.39. The company had a trading volume of 521,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 273,654. Crane has a twelve month low of $127.04 and a twelve month high of $190.53. 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 stock has a market cap of $10.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.24. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $159.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $161.31.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The conglomerate reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.10. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The business had revenue of $557.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $546.93 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Crane Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 11th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.49%. Crane's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Crane news, SVP Jason D. Feldman sold 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.10, for a total value of $230,230.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,796 shares in the company, valued at $1,734,871.60. This trade represents a 11.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Crane

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Crane by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 15,625 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $2,371,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Crane by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,455 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in Crane by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,196 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,244,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Crane by 3.1% during the first quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,445 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $375,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NorthRock Partners LLC raised its position in Crane by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 1,954 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Crane

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.