Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 28,166 Shares of Crane $CR

Key Points

• Massachusetts Financial Services reduced its stake in Crane by 9%, selling 28,166 shares in Q4 and ending the period with 284,431 shares (about 0.49% of the company) valued at roughly $52.46 million.
• Crane beat earnings estimates with Q results of $1.53 EPS vs. $1.43 expected and revenue of $581 million (up 6.8% YoY), and set FY2026 guidance of $6.55–$6.75 EPS.
• Crane raised its quarterly dividend to $0.255 (annualized $1.02, ~0.5% yield), and analysts hold a consensus "Buy" rating with an average target price of $223.83.

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lessened its position in Crane (NYSE:CR - Free Report) by 9.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 284,431 shares of the conglomerate's stock after selling 28,166 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned about 0.49% of Crane worth $52,458,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of Crane during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,651,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL lifted its stake in shares of Crane by 314.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 74,801 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $13,774,000 after buying an additional 56,768 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Crane by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 489,810 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $90,196,000 after buying an additional 37,026 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Crane by 86.8% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 136,413 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $25,119,000 after buying an additional 63,401 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Crane by 23.0% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 33,480 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $6,165,000 after buying an additional 6,258 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Crane Price Performance

Shares of Crane stock opened at $193.52 on Wednesday. Crane has a twelve month low of $135.47 and a twelve month high of $214.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $187.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $188.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.34.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The conglomerate reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.10. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The business had revenue of $581.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $572.16 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.38 EPS. The business's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.550-6.75 EPS. Analysts forecast that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a $0.255 dividend. This is a positive change from Crane's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Crane's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Crane news, SVP Jason D. Feldman sold 2,693 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.95, for a total value of $543,851.35. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,639 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,148,546.05. This trade represents a 20.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan D. Lynch bought 150 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $182.22 per share, for a total transaction of $27,333.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 220 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,088.40. This trade represents a 214.29% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 5,464 shares of company stock worth $987,470. 2.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CR shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Crane from $201.00 to $200.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and set a $235.00 target price on shares of Crane in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and set a $238.00 target price on shares of Crane in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Crane from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Crane in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $223.83.

Crane News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Crane this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mario Gabelli continues to hold a large stake in Crane, which provides downside support from a long‑term institutional holder and can help stabilize the stock. Mario Gabelli continues to hold big position
• Neutral Sentiment: Crane Worldwide Logistics announced an expansion into Spain via acquisition — if this business is affiliated with Crane Co., it could be a growth positive; affiliation/financial impact is unclear from the report, so monitor for confirmatory details. Crane Worldwide Logistics expands into Spain through acquisition
• Neutral Sentiment: Several media stories referencing “crane” (wildlife — whooping crane shootings, nesting cameras — and insect “crane flies”) are generating attention but are unrelated to Crane Co.’s industrial business and unlikely to affect the stock materially. Example: whooping crane coverage. Whooping crane shot in Louisiana
• Negative Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus trimmed its price target on Crane from $201 to $200 and reiterated a “hold” rating — a small downgrade that can weigh on sentiment given the lack of stronger near‑term growth headlines. Stifel price target cut to $200
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and legal stories about crane accidents (MIOSHA probe into a crane tipping incident; a separate suit tied to a hurricane crane accident) can raise sector‑level safety and liability concerns—monitor for any connection to Crane Co. products or services. MIOSHA launches investigation Lawsuit over hurricane crane accident

Crane 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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