Crane (NYSE:CR) Stock Price Breaks Above 200 Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Key Points

• Crane shares broke above their 200-day moving average, reaching $205.37 and last trading near $203.74, signaling improved technical momentum.
• Analysts remain bullish, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $239, implying potential upside from the trading price.
• Crane reported a quarterly earnings beat, with EPS of $1.79 versus $1.68 expected and revenue up 25.6% year over year; it also maintains a $0.255 quarterly dividend, yielding about 0.5%.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $200.22 and traded as high as $205.37. Crane shares last traded at $203.7350, with a volume of 269,599 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on CR shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $240.00 target price on Crane in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Crane from $215.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of Crane in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Crane in a research report on Monday, July 20th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $253.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Crane from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have given a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $239.00.

Crane Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $11.78 billion, a PE ratio of 35.62, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.02. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $206.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $200.22. The company has a current ratio of 2.80, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Crane (NYSE:CR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The conglomerate reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.11. Crane had a net margin of 12.97% and a return on equity of 18.67%. The company had revenue of $724.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $708.46 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.49 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 25.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Crane has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.850-7.050 EPS. Research analysts expect that Crane will post 6.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Crane Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st were given a $0.2550 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Crane's payout ratio is presently 17.83%.

Insider Activity at Crane

In other news, Director James Tullis sold 614 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total transaction of $138,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 5,421 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,219,725. This represents a 10.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.12% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Crane

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Crane by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,958 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $437,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital grew its holdings in shares of Crane by 8.4% during the second quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,450 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $318,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its stake in Crane by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 1,687 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. TD Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Crane during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Crane by 2.5% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 7,450 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $1,274,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. 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 and solutions for aerospace, industrial, process flow and other specialized markets. The company serves customers that require products designed for demanding operating environments, including applications involving the movement and control of fluids.

Crane's businesses include aerospace and electronics products, process flow equipment and engineered materials.

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