Should You Buy Crane Co (CR) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.
Conclusion
Buy
Latest Price
179.380
1 Day change
-1.59%
52 Week Range
214.310
Analysis Updated At
2026/01/28
BUY for a beginner long-term investor right now. CR is trading near a key support zone (~179.9–187.5) after a pullback, and the latest quarter beat plus dividend increase provides a supportive long-term backdrop. Near-term momentum is still bearish, but at $182.68 the risk/reward is attractive for initiating a position immediately (especially given you don’t want to wait for a perfect entry).
Technical Analysis
Price/Trend: CR at 182.68 is below S1 (187.49) and sitting just above S2 (179.94), indicating the stock has already sold off into a notable support area.
Momentum: MACD histogram is -2.211 and negatively expanding → bearish momentum still in control.
RSI: RSI(6) at ~24 suggests oversold/washed-out conditions (even though the feed labels it “neutral,” 24 is typically oversold), which often precedes at least a stabilization/bounce.
Moving Averages: Converging MAs suggest a transition phase; however, momentum indicators imply the transition is happening after downside pressure.
Levels to watch: Support = 179.94 (S2) then 187.49 (S1). Resistance = 199.71 (pivot) then 211.94 (R1). A reclaim of ~199–200 would be an important technical improvement.
**Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals**
- [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): no signal on given stock today.
- [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock recently.
Options Data
Bullish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bearish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Sentiment read-through: Open interest put/call ratio of 0.8 leans slightly bullish/less hedged positioning overall, but the put/call volume ratio of 6.0 indicates heavy put demand today (short-term caution/hedging or bearish speculation).
Volatility: Implied volatility (30d) is extremely elevated (~112%) vs historical volatility (~25%), signaling the options market is pricing unusually large near-term moves (event-driven uncertainty). For a long-term stock buyer, this mainly flags heightened near-term sentiment swings rather than a fundamental break by itself.
Liquidity/Activity: Today’s option volume is above its recent average (2.5x), consistent with increased attention around recent earnings/outlook/news.
Technical Summary
Sell
7
Buy
7
Positive Catalysts
Q4 2025 results beat: non-GAAP EPS of $1.53 beat expectations; revenue $581M (+6.8% YoY reported) and core sales +5.4%.
Profitability improvement on an operating basis: adjusted operating profit up 16% in Q4 2025 (from news summary), supporting the longer-term quality narrative.
Shareholder return tailwind: dividend raised 10.9% to $0.255/quarter.
Analyst upside: Recent bullish coverage exists (Wolfe Outperform PT $215; DA Davidson Buy PT $235), implying meaningful upside vs $182.68 if execution holds.
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
Near-term fundamentals caution: management flagged weak core orders and a cautious 2026 outlook (potential cap on multiple expansion in the short run).
Bearish technical momentum: MACD negative and worsening suggests the downtrend may not be finished.
Insider behavior: insiders are net sellers, and selling activity increased sharply over the last month (a sentiment headwind).
Options flow tilt: very put-heavy volume (put/call volume ratio 6.0) implies traders are positioning defensively in the near term.
Financial Performance
Latest quarter: 2025/Q4.
Revenue: $581M, up ~49.94% YoY per the provided snapshot (note: news also cites +6.8% YoY; the gap likely reflects portfolio changes/acquisitions vs core growth).
Net income: $81.7M, up ~0.86% YoY (growth is modest vs revenue).
EPS: 1.39, up ~0.72% YoY (also modest).
Margins: gross margin fell to 41.58% (down ~13.10% YoY), which is the key soft spot—top-line growth is not fully translating into per-share earnings acceleration yet.
Bottom line trend: business is growing, but profitability/margins need to stabilize for the next leg higher; the dividend hike suggests confidence, but the cautious 2026 language raises the near-term bar for execution.
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
Recent trend: price targets remain generally above the current price, with mixed ratings.
- Stifel: Hold; PT adjusted around $200–$201 (minor cuts/raises, overall steady and cautious).
- Wolfe Research: Initiated Outperform, PT $215 (constructive new coverage).
- DA Davidson: Buy, PT raised to $235 after Q3 beat (more optimistic on backlog/visibility).
Wall Street pros: credible operational execution, backlog/visibility (esp. Aerospace & Electronics per bullish coverage), acquisition upside, and shareholder-friendly dividend growth.
Wall Street cons: near-term volume/core order softness and a cautious 2026 outlook; some firms stay on Hold despite upside to PTs, signaling “good company, but timing/near-term growth questions.”
Wall Street analysts forecast CR stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for CR is 218.75 USD with a low forecast of 200 USD and a high forecast of 235 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
4 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast CR stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for CR is 218.75 USD with a low forecast of 200 USD and a high forecast of 235 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
3 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 182.270
Low
200
Averages
218.75
High
235
Current: 182.270
Low
200
Averages
218.75
High
235
Stifel
Nathan Jones
Hold
maintain
$200 -> $201
AI Analysis
2026-01-23
Reason
Stifel
Nathan Jones
Price Target
$200 -> $201
AI Analysis
2026-01-23
maintain
Hold
Reason
Stifel analyst Nathan Jones raised the firm's price target on Crane to $201 from $200 and keeps a Hold rating on the shares as part of the firm's Q4 preview for its diversified industrials coverage.
Stifel
Hold
downgrade
$202 -> $200
2025-12-16
Reason
Stifel
Price Target
$202 -> $200
2025-12-16
downgrade
Hold
Reason
Stifel lowered the firm's price target on Crane to $200 from $202 and keeps a Hold rating on the shares. Growth in 2025 for diversified industrials has largely been driven by tariff related price increases, again demonstrating these companies have superior pricing power, with volumes generally flat to down modestly, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm expects volume growth in 2026 to be primarily driven by the absence of, or at least lower, levels of inventory destocking combined with carryover pricing leading to low to mid single-digit revenue growth in 2026.
Unlock Full Analyst Thesis， Get the complete breakdown of rating reason for CR
