CW Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Crane $CR

Key Points

• CW Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Crane by 13.9%, now owning 80,054 shares valued at approximately $12.26 million, while several other institutional investors have increased their stakes in the company.
• Analyst ratings for Crane have improved, with multiple brokerages boosting their price targets and maintaining a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" at a price target of $222.20.
• Crane has reported a strong quarterly earnings performance with an EPS of $1.49, exceeding analysts' expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.23, offering a yield of 0.5%.

CW Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) by 13.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 80,054 shares of the conglomerate's stock after selling 12,885 shares during the quarter. CW Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.14% of Crane worth $12,263,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Crane in the first quarter worth approximately $75,254,000. Select Equity Group L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Crane by 25.2% in the 4th quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 754,170 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $114,445,000 after buying an additional 151,717 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Crane by 23.7% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 679,768 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $104,127,000 after purchasing an additional 130,218 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP bought a new position in Crane in the 1st quarter worth about $18,835,000. Finally, Bain Capital Public Equity Management II LLC grew its stake in Crane by 27.0% in the 4th quarter. Bain Capital Public Equity Management II LLC now owns 431,254 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $65,443,000 after acquiring an additional 91,631 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Crane Trading Down 1.0%

CR stock traded down $1.9930 during trading on Monday, reaching $192.2370. 272,878 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 310,328. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $189.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $171.06. Crane has a 1 year low of $127.04 and a 1 year high of $203.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.26.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The conglomerate reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.15. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The company had revenue of $577.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $567.70 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.20 earnings per share. Crane's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Crane has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.500-5.800 EPS. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Crane's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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