Crane (NYSE:CR) Shares Sold by Asset Management One Co. Ltd.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. trimmed its position in Crane (NYSE:CR) by 28.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,633 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 1,035 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Crane were worth $405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP bought a new position in Crane during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new position in Crane during the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in Crane during the 3rd quarter valued at $56,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Crane by 69.1% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 372 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Crane during the 3rd quarter valued at $86,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Crane Price Performance

CR opened at $171.22 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $161.39 and a 200-day moving average of $160.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.68, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.25. Crane has a 12-month low of $118.48 and a 12-month high of $188.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

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

Crane Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. This is a positive change from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Crane’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.96, for a total transaction of $392,011.28. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 32,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,635,354.48. This trade represents 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 accessible through the SEC website. 2.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CR. StockNews.com upgraded Crane from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Crane from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.