Crane Company (NYSE:CR) Just Reported Third-Quarter Earnings: Have Analysts Changed Their Mind On The Stock?

Crane Company (NYSE:CR) last week reported its latest third-quarter results, which makes it a good time for investors to dive in and see if the business is performing in line with expectations. Crane reported US$589m in revenue, roughly in line with analyst forecasts, although statutory earnings per share (EPS) of US$1.56 beat expectations, being 4.7% higher than what the analysts expected. Following the result, the analysts have updated their earnings model, and it would be good to know whether they think there's been a strong change in the company's prospects, or if it's business as usual. We thought readers would find it interesting to see the analysts latest (statutory) post-earnings forecasts for next year.

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Taking into account the latest results, the most recent consensus for Crane from eight analysts is for revenues of US$2.60b in 2026. If met, it would imply a solid 14% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to step up 19% to US$6.61. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$2.56b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$6.55 in 2026. The consensus analysts don't seem to have seen anything in these results that would have changed their view on the business, given there's been no major change to their estimates.

Check out our latest analysis for Crane

There were no changes to revenue or earnings estimates or the price target of US$214, suggesting that the company has met expectations in its recent result. There's another way to think about price targets though, and that's to look at the range of price targets put forward by analysts, because a wide range of estimates could suggest a diverse view on possible outcomes for the business. There are some variant perceptions on Crane, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$235 and the most bearish at US$173 per share. Still, with such a tight range of estimates, it suggeststhe analysts have a pretty good idea of what they think the company is worth.

Taking a look at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can understand these forecasts is to see how they compare to both past performance and industry growth estimates. For example, we noticed that Crane's rate of growth is expected to accelerate meaningfully, with revenues forecast to exhibit 11% growth to the end of 2026 on an annualised basis. That is well above its historical decline of 9.2% a year over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 5.4% per year. So it looks like Crane is expected to grow faster than its competitors, at least for a while.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that there's been no major change in sentiment, with the analysts reconfirming that the business is performing in line with their previous earnings per share estimates. Happily, there were no major changes to revenue forecasts, with the business still expected to grow faster than the wider industry. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates.

With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Crane going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here..

That said, it's still necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Crane , and understanding this should be part of your investment process.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.