Crane (CR) Valuation Check After Strong Year-to-Date Rally and Earnings Momentum

Crane (CR) has quietly put up a strong run this year, and its latest trading action is prompting a closer look. The stock’s gains sit alongside solid revenue and earnings growth.

See our latest analysis for Crane.

At around $187.79 a share, Crane’s strong year to date share price return of roughly 24 percent caps a solid run that mirrors its improving fundamentals, while the three year total shareholder return above 190 percent shows sustained momentum rather than a one off spike.

If Crane’s climb has you rethinking where industrial strength and resilience might show up next, it could be worth scanning aerospace and defense stocks for other names riding similar demand tailwinds.

With earnings growing faster than revenue and the share price still below analyst targets, investors face a key question: is Crane trading at a rare discount, or has the market already priced in its next leg of growth?

Most Popular Narrative: 11.4% Undervalued

Based on the most followed narrative, Crane’s fair value sits comfortably above the last close, suggesting the current price still trails its projected potential.

Crane's recent acquisition of PSI (Druck, Panametrics, Reuter-Stokes) positions the company to capture rising demand for advanced sensing and fluid control in both aerospace and process industries, directly benefiting from infrastructure modernization and growing automation, supporting sustained revenue and future margin expansion.

Read the complete narrative.

Want to see what powers that upside gap? The narrative leans on accelerating earnings, fatter margins, and a future profit multiple that rivals elite industrial names.

Result: Fair Value of $211.88 (UNDERVALUED)

Have a read of the narrative in full and understand what's behind the forecasts.

However, persistent European chemical weakness or tougher than expected PSI integration could quickly pressure margins and challenge the upbeat growth narrative.

Find out about the key risks to this Crane narrative.

Another View: Multiples Send a Caution Flag

While the consensus narrative points to upside, the simple earnings multiple tells a tougher story. Crane trades on a P/E of 33.8 times, well above both the US Machinery average of 25.5 times and its own fair ratio of 25.6 times. This implies limited margin for disappointment if growth cools.

See what the numbers say about this price — find out in our valuation breakdown.

Build Your Own Crane Narrative

If this outlook does not quite match your own thinking, dive into the numbers yourself and craft a personalized view in minutes, Do it your way.

A good starting point is our analysis highlighting 3 key rewards investors are optimistic about regarding Crane.

Ready for your next investing move?

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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.

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