Congress Wealth Management LLC DE Has $14.10 Million Holdings in Crane (NYSE:CR)

Congress Wealth Management LLC DE trimmed its stake in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 92,939 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 12,214 shares during the period. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE owned about 0.16% of Crane worth $14,104,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new stake in Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $56,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in 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 position in shares of Crane during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $86,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,635,354.48. This trade represents a 6.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Crane Trading Up 4.1 %

Crane stock opened at $158.93 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $162.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $161.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.05, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.18. Crane has a 52 week low of $128.50 and a 52 week high of $188.52.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The conglomerate reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.90 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Crane will post 7.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Crane Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This is a boost from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Crane’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com cut Crane from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Crane in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.