Crane $CR Shares Acquired by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Crane by 29.5% in the fourth quarter, adding 11,433 shares to bring its total to 50,159 shares worth about $9.25 million.
• Crane recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.65 versus estimates of $1.44 and revenue of $696.4 million, up 24.9% from a year earlier.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly positive, with an average Buy rating and a consensus price target of $226.33, while the stock also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.255 per share.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) by 29.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 50,159 shares of the conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 11,433 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.09% of Crane worth $9,251,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 289,020.7% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 7,855,409 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $1,448,773,000 after purchasing an additional 7,852,692 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in Crane by 0.7% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,944,444 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $542,190,000 after acquiring an additional 21,901 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Crane in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $198,509,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Crane by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 917,679 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $169,282,000 after purchasing an additional 35,441 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Crane by 2.3% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 776,700 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $143,022,000 after purchasing an additional 17,132 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised Crane from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $200.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered Crane from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $235.00 target price on shares of Crane in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Crane from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $226.33.

Insider Transactions at Crane

In related news, Director Susan D. Lynch acquired 150 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was bought at an average price of $177.38 per share, for a total transaction of $26,607.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 370 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $65,630.60. The trade was a 68.18% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Crane Stock Performance

Shares of CR stock opened at $192.93 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $180.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $187.11. The company has a market cap of $11.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.55, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.12. Crane has a 12 month low of $159.58 and a 12 month high of $214.31.

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

Crane Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a $0.255 dividend. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. Crane's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.35%.

About Crane

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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