It's been a pretty great week for Crane Company (NYSE:CR) shareholders, with its shares surging 13% to US$161 in the week since its latest first-quarter results. It was a credible result overall, with revenues of US$558m and statutory earnings per share of US$1.34 both in line with analyst estimates, showing that Crane is executing in line with expectations. Earnings are an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance, look at what the analysts are forecasting for next year, and see if there's been a change in sentiment towards the company. Readers will be glad to know we've aggregated the latest statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their mind on Crane after the latest results.

We check all companies for important risks. See what we found for Crane in our free report.NYSE:CR Earnings and Revenue Growth May 1st 2025

Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus from Crane's nine analysts is for revenues of US$2.28b in 2025. This would reflect an okay 4.6% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to grow 12% to US$5.62. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$2.27b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$5.56 in 2025. So it's pretty clear that, although the analysts have updated their estimates, there's been no major change in expectations for the business following the latest results.

See our latest analysis for Crane

It will come as no surprise then, to learn that the consensus price target is largely unchanged at US$179. That's not the only conclusion we can draw from this data however, as some investors also like to consider the spread in estimates when evaluating analyst price targets. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Crane at US$200 per share, while the most bearish prices it at US$150. This is a very narrow spread of estimates, implying either that Crane is an easy company to value, or - more likely - the analysts are relying heavily on some key assumptions.

One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. For example, we noticed that Crane's rate of growth is expected to accelerate meaningfully, with revenues forecast to exhibit 6.2% growth to the end of 2025 on an annualised basis. That is well above its historical decline of 9.8% 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 4.1% per year. So it looks like Crane is expected to grow faster than its competitors, at least for a while.

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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.

Following on from that line of thought, we think that the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. 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..

You can also see our  analysis of Crane's Board and CEO remuneration and experience, and whether company insiders have been buying stock.

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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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