Congruence Capital LLC Takes $18.60 Million Position in Crane $CR

Key Points

• Congruence Capital LLC opened a new stake in Crane during the fourth quarter, buying 100,872 shares worth about $18.6 million. The position makes Crane its third-largest holding and about 6.8% of its portfolio.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted their Crane holdings, and roughly 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutions and hedge funds. This suggests broad professional investor interest in the company.
• Crane’s latest results beat expectations, with EPS of $1.65 versus $1.44 expected and revenue of $696.4 million topping estimates. Analysts currently rate the stock a Buy on average, with a consensus price target of $226.33.

Congruence Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 100,872 shares of the conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $18,604,000. Crane makes up about 6.8% of Congruence Capital LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Congruence Capital LLC owned about 0.18% of Crane at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Entropy Technologies LP boosted its holdings in Crane by 62.7% in the fourth quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 18,653 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $3,440,000 after acquiring an additional 7,186 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Crane by 38.1% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 220,782 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $40,719,000 after acquiring an additional 60,881 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Crane by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,201 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $406,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Crane during the fourth quarter worth approximately $547,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP bought a new position in shares of Crane in the 4th quarter worth $3,820,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on CR shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Crane from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Crane from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $215.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and set a $235.00 target price on shares of Crane in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Crane from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Crane presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $226.33.

Crane Stock Up 1.3%

Crane stock opened at $206.77 on Friday. Crane has a fifty-two week low of $159.58 and a fifty-two week high of $214.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.18. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $183.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $187.72. The stock has a market cap of $11.94 billion, a PE ratio of 27.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.12.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.21. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The firm had revenue of $696.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $672.74 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.39 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 24.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Research analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Crane Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th were issued a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. Crane's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.35%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Crane news, Director Susan D. Lynch acquired 150 shares of Crane stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $177.38 per share, for a total transaction of $26,607.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 370 shares of the company's stock, valued at $65,630.60. This trade represents a 68.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.12% of the company's stock.

Crane Company Profile

Crane Co, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, is a diversified manufacturer of engineered industrial products serving customers around the world. The company operates through two primary segments: Aerospace & Electronics and Engineered Materials. Its Aerospace & Electronics division designs and produces valves, fittings, manifolds, and filtration systems for aircraft fuel, hydraulics, and environmental control systems. The Engineered Materials segment focuses on advanced polymers, heat exchangers, and specialized composite solutions for industries including chemical processing, semiconductor manufacturing, and power generation.

With roots dating back to its founding in 1855 in Chicago by R.T.

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