Hantz Financial Services Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in Crane (NYSE:CR)

Hantz Financial Services Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Crane (NYSE:CR) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 74,425 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 3,908 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Crane were worth $11,294,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Matrix Trust Co purchased a new stake in Crane during the third quarter worth about $25,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Crane during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Crane in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Crane by 81.8% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 220 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Crane during the third quarter worth about $37,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Crane Stock Up 12.3 %

Shares of NYSE:CR opened at $175.64 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $163.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $158.67. Crane has a twelve month low of $110.49 and a twelve month high of $188.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market capitalization of $10.05 billion, a PE ratio of 23.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.22.

Crane (NYSE:CR) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 firm earned $0.90 earnings per share. On average, equities 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 dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This is an increase from Crane’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Crane’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Crane from $176.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Crane from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Crane from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $166.80.

Crane 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.