Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 104 Shares of Crane (NYSE:CR)

Securian Asset Management Inc. lowered its stake in Crane (NYSE:CR) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,677 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 104 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Crane were worth $558,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new stake in shares of Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at $56,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Crane by 69.1% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 372 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at $86,000. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Crane Price Performance

CR opened at $155.61 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The company has a market capitalization of $8.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $161.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $161.76. Crane has a 1 year low of $128.50 and a 1 year high of $188.52.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.90 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. This is an increase from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Crane’s payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on CR shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Crane from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Crane in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Crane presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Alejandro Alcala sold 2,293 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.96, for a total value of $392,011.28. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 32,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,635,354.48. The trade was a 6.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Crane Company Profile

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.