Crane (NYSE:CR) Shares Sold by Ameriprise Financial Inc.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. decreased its position in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,730 shares of the conglomerate's stock after selling 2,408 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 0.10% of Crane worth $8,760,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CR. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Crane by 487.8% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 241 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Crane by 69.1% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 372 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of Crane by 17.8% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 583 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in shares of Crane in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $101,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of Crane by 250.6% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 817 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $124,000 after purchasing an additional 584 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Crane Price Performance

CR traded down $0.61 during trading on Friday, reaching $170.10. 217,379 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 269,413. The business's 50 day moving average price is $155.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $161.71. 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 company has a market capitalization of $9.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.28. Crane has a 1 year low of $127.04 and a 1 year high of $188.52.

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

Crane Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Crane's dividend payout ratio is currently 15.94%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jason D. Feldman sold 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,734,871.60. This trade represents a 11.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on CR shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Crane from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. UBS Group upgraded Crane from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $157.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Crane in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Crane from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $186.00 price target on Crane and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $178.20.

Crane Company Profile

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.