Crane (NYSE:CR) Stock Breaks Above 50-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Crane shares rose above their 50-day moving average, trading near $205.69 versus the $202.63 average, signaling improved technical momentum.
• Analysts remain bullish, with an average “Buy” rating and a $242 consensus price target; recent targets range from $240 to $255.
• Crane reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.05 and revenue of $756.7 million, up 28.1% year over year. The company also declared a $0.255 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 0.5% annual yield.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report)'s stock price crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $202.63 and traded as high as $206.51. Crane shares last traded at $205.6850, with a volume of 515,405 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on CR. Weiss Ratings upgraded Crane from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $240.00 target price on Crane in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Crane from $242.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. DA Davidson set a $255.00 price target on shares of Crane in a report on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Crane in a research note on Monday, July 20th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $253.00 price target for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have issued a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $242.00.

Crane Price Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $202.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $198.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.34, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a current ratio of 2.61.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The conglomerate reported $2.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.23. Crane had a return on equity of 19.17% and a net margin of 12.41%. The firm had revenue of $756.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $737.08 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.64 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 28.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Crane will post 7.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Crane Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 30th will be issued a $0.2550 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 30th. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Crane's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.83%.

Insider Transactions at Crane

In other Crane news, Director James Tullis sold 614 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total transaction of $138,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 5,421 shares in the company, valued at $1,219,725. The trade was a 10.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.12% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crane

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Crane by 403.2% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 624 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $139,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Crane in the second quarter worth approximately $202,000. Asset Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Crane during the 2nd quarter worth $205,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Crane during the 2nd quarter worth $236,000. Finally, LifeGoal Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Crane during the 3rd quarter valued at $217,000. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company's stock.

About Crane

Crane Company NYSE: CR is a diversified industrial technology company that develops and manufactures highly engineered products for aerospace, industrial, commercial and other specialized markets. The company serves customers worldwide through businesses focused on mission-critical components, systems and services.

Its Aerospace & Electronics segment supplies products such as sensing and control systems, aircraft components, power-management equipment and other electronic solutions for commercial and military aerospace applications.

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