Crane $CR Shares Sold by American Century Companies Inc.

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. has reduced its holdings in Crane by 3.5%, selling 11,463 shares and now owns 311,809 shares valued at approximately $47.76 million.
• Crane has seen an increase in analyst ratings, with target prices boosted by Deutsche Bank, DA Davidson, and UBS to up to $230.00, reflecting a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• The company reported earnings of $1.49 per share for the last quarter, exceeding expectations and setting FY 2025 guidance at 5.500-5.800 EPS.

American Century Companies Inc. trimmed its stake in Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) by 3.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 311,809 shares of the conglomerate's stock after selling 11,463 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.54% of Crane worth $47,763,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CR. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Crane by 104.8% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 256 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Crane during the first quarter worth about $76,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of Crane by 31.4% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 569 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $87,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Crane by 84.7% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 687 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Crane during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Crane Price Performance

Crane stock traded up $0.2050 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $194.4350. The stock had a trading volume of 20,298 shares, compared to its average volume of 308,744. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.77, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.88. Crane has a 1-year low of $127.04 and a 1-year high of $203.89. The stock's fifty day moving average is $189.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $171.06.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The conglomerate reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $577.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $567.70 million. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.20 earnings per share. Crane has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.500-5.800 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Crane Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. Crane's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CR. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective (up from $215.00) on shares of Crane in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Crane from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Crane from $189.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Crane from $187.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their target price on Crane from $200.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $222.20.

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.