Crane (NYSE:CR) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $205.92 and last traded at $205.2030, with a volume of 13872 shares. The stock had previously closed at $202.93.

Trending Headlines about Crane

Here are the key news stories impacting Crane this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer publicly praised Crane, calling it a “good” company and recommending holding the stock—this kind of endorsement can lift investor sentiment and buying interest. Jim Cramer: Crane Is A ‘Good’ Company
• Neutral Sentiment: Crane’s recent fundamentals support a constructive view: last reported quarter beat EPS and revenue estimates and management set FY2025 EPS guidance (5.75–5.95). Those results and guidance are more directly relevant to valuation than the unrelated accident headlines.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market/sector headlines (e.g., software-sector worries) are weighing on risk assets in places but are not directly tied to Crane’s industrial businesses; their indirect market effect may influence intraday moves. 3 Stocks to Avoid as Software Sector Stumbles
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple high-profile crane collapses in Thailand (deadly train and car incidents) are dominating headlines. While tragic and headline-grabbing, these accidents involve construction-site cranes and do not appear connected to Crane Co.’s operations or product lines; nevertheless, name association could cause short-term brand confusion or headline-driven volatility. Thailand Has 2nd Deadly Accident Involving a Crane in 2 Days

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson set a $235.00 price target on shares of Crane in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Crane from $202.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. CJS Securities raised shares of Crane to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Wolfe Research set a $215.00 price target on shares of Crane and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Crane in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Crane presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.83.

Crane Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $11.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company’s fifty day moving average is $187.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $187.75.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.18. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. The company had revenue of $589.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $578.54 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.38 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Crane has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.750-5.950 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Crane Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th were paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Crane’s dividend payout ratio is 14.74%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Horizon Corp acquired a new stake in Crane in the third quarter worth $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Crane in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Crane by 57.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 180 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in Crane during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Crane by 63.4% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 219 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Crane Company Profile

Crane Co, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, is a diversified manufacturer of engineered industrial products serving customers around the world. The company operates through two primary segments: Aerospace & Electronics and Engineered Materials. Its Aerospace & Electronics division designs and produces valves, fittings, manifolds, and filtration systems for aircraft fuel, hydraulics, and environmental control systems. The Engineered Materials segment focuses on advanced polymers, heat exchangers, and specialized composite solutions for industries including chemical processing, semiconductor manufacturing, and power generation.

With roots dating back to its founding in 1855 in Chicago by R.T.