Crane (NYSE:CR) Shares Sold by Rice Hall James & Associates LLC

Rice Hall James & Associates LLC reduced its position in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) by 24.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,581 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 1,186 shares during the period. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC’s holdings in Crane were worth $543,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CR. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Crane during the third quarter worth about $17,062,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Crane by 16.1% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 655,470 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $103,748,000 after purchasing an additional 91,029 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC increased its position in Crane by 67.2% during the third quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 93,535 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $14,805,000 after purchasing an additional 37,581 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its position in Crane by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 132,238 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $20,068,000 after purchasing an additional 35,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Crane during the third quarter worth about $4,459,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of Crane stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.96, for a total value of $392,011.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 32,963 shares in the company, valued at $5,635,354.48. The trade was a 6.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Crane Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of CR stock opened at $172.74 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $161.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $160.50. Crane has a fifty-two week low of $118.48 and a fifty-two week high of $188.52.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.07. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.90 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. This is an increase from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Crane’s payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Crane from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Crane from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.80.

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.