Advertisement
CR vs ZWS
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Crane Company (CR) vs. Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation (ZWS) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- Zurn Elkay Water Solutions (ZWS) has outperformed CR year-to-date with a 13.73% gain compared to CR's 2.05%.
- Recent quarterly earnings for ZWS showed double-digit organic growth and margin expansion, boosting sentiment.
- CR benefits from analyst price targets suggesting over 20% upside potential from recent levels around $180.
- Both stocks operate in the industrials sector but differ in focus: CR on specialty machinery and ZWS on water treatment solutions.
- ZWS trades near its 52-week high, reflecting stronger recent momentum versus CR's mid-range positioning.
Introduction
Crane Company (CR) and Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation (ZWS) represent key players in the industrials sector, with CR focusing on specialty industrial machinery and ZWS on water management solutions. This stock comparison analyzes their recent performance, sector positioning, and market dynamics, aiding investors seeking exposure to industrial growth themes such as infrastructure and manufacturing recovery. Traders monitoring relative strength in cyclical sectors will find insights into momentum shifts and valuation contrasts valuable for portfolio decisions.
CR Overview and Recent Performance
Crane Company (CR), a manufacturer of engineered industrial products including process flow technologies and aerospace components, operates in the specialty industrial machinery industry. In recent market activity, the stock has hovered around $180, with a market capitalization of approximately $10.4 billion and a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 31.88. Year-to-date performance stands at 2.05%, reflecting modest gains amid broader industrial sector volatility, while one-year returns reached 27.68%. Sentiment has been influenced by the company's Q4 2025 earnings release, alongside analyst updates maintaining hold ratings with average price targets near $218, signaling potential upside. Pullbacks in recent weeks have been tied to sector-wide pressures, but steady profitability metrics like a 15.91% profit margin support resilience.
ZWS Overview and Recent Performance
Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation (ZWS) provides water solutions including commercial plumbing products and water safety systems, positioning it in the pollution and treatment controls industry. Trading near $53 with a market cap of $8.84 billion and P/E ratio of 42.89, the stock is close to its 52-week high of $53.70. Recent performance has been robust, with year-to-date gains of 13.73% and one-year returns of 63.05%. Key drivers include Q1 2026 earnings that beat expectations, delivering 11.4% sales growth and double-digit organic expansion, which has elevated market sentiment. Analyst targets average $56, with recent upgrades underscoring favorable product mix and margin improvements in recent weeks.
Trending AI Robots
Tickeron’s Trending AI Robots page features the top 25 performers curated from over 351 AI trading bots that analyze thousands of tickers across stocks, ETFs, and crypto using technical and fundamental strategies. These bots showcase impressive stats, such as annualized returns ranging from +33% to over +114%, win rates between 56% and 87%, and profit factors up to 6.94, with varying timeframes from 5 minutes to 55 days and styles like swing trading, dip buying, and corridor exits. Industrial-focused bots, for instance, report +71.75% annualized returns on select tickers. Traders can copy these virtual agents with customizable risk management and no minimum balance. Explore Trending AI Robots to identify bots suited to current market conditions.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Crane Company (CR) emphasizes diversified engineered products for aerospace and industrial applications, contrasting with Zurn Elkay (ZWS)'s specialized focus on water infrastructure and safety solutions. Growth drivers differ: CR leverages manufacturing recovery, while ZWS benefits from regulatory tailwinds in water treatment. Recent momentum favors ZWS with superior YTD and post-earnings gains, versus CR's steadier but lower trajectory. Risk factors include cyclical exposure for both, though ZWS appears less volatile near highs. Market sentiment tilts toward ZWS on earnings strength, while CR offers higher relative valuation upside.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently leans toward Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation (ZWS) due to consistent earnings momentum, superior recent relative performance, and positioning near 52-week highs amid industrial sector rotation. Factors like organic growth and analyst support enhance its trend stability over CR's more moderate trajectory, though CR remains attractive for longer-term upside potential.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full Disclaimers and Limitations.
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is CR is a Buy and ZWS is a Hold.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
CR’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whileZWS’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s).
- CR’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- ZWS’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
CR’s TA Score shows that 6 TA indicator(s) are bullish while ZWS’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s).
- CR’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 3 bearish.
- ZWS’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 5 bearish.
Price Growth
CR (@Industrial Machinery) experienced а +4.14% price change this week, while ZWS (@Industrial Specialties) price change was +1.66% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Industrial Machinery industry was +1.45%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +5.82%, and the average quarterly price growth was +10.51%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Industrial Specialties industry was +3.61%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +7.66%, and the average quarterly price growth was +2.69%.
Reported Earning Dates
CR is expected to report earnings on Aug 03, 2026.
ZWS is expected to report earnings on Jul 28, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Industrial Machinery (+1.45% weekly)The industry makes and maintains machines for consumers, the industry, and most other companies. While it has traditionally been categorized as heavy industry, some smaller companies are also branching into the light category. The industry is pivotal in providing the equipment for production in businesses like agriculture, mining, industry and construction, gas, electricity and water utilities. It also supplies supporting equipment for almost all sectors of the economy, such as equipment for heating, and air conditioning of buildings. Illinois Tool Works Inc., Parker-Hannifin Corporation and Rockwell Automation Inc are some of the major U.S. companies operating in this industry.
@Industrial Specialties (+3.61% weekly)Companies in the industrial specialties industry process basic materials and minerals into various specialty products, such as flat and safety glass, fire retardant products, paints and coatings. Examples of companies operating in this industry are Sherwin-Williams Company, PPG Industries, Inc. and RPM International Inc.
| CR | ZWS | CR / ZWS | |
| Capitalization | 12.4B | 8.28B | 150% |
| EBITDA | 508M | 392M | 130% |
| Gain YTD | 16.956 | 7.261 | 234% |
| P/E Ratio | 39.40 | 40.36 | 98% |
| Revenue | 2.44B | 1.74B | 140% |
| Total Cash | 355M | 274M | 130% |
| Total Debt | 1.22B | 552M | 220% |
CR | ZWS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 46 | 12 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 80 Overvalued | 56 Fair valued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 11 | 31 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 52 | 62 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 41 | 45 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 47 | 45 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
ZWS's Valuation (56) in the Industrial Machinery industry is in the same range as CR (80) in the null industry. This means that ZWS’s stock grew similarly to CR’s over the last 12 months.
CR's Profit vs Risk Rating (11) in the null industry is in the same range as ZWS (31) in the Industrial Machinery industry. This means that CR’s stock grew similarly to ZWS’s over the last 12 months.
CR's SMR Rating (52) in the null industry is in the same range as ZWS (62) in the Industrial Machinery industry. This means that CR’s stock grew similarly to ZWS’s over the last 12 months.
CR's Price Growth Rating (41) in the null industry is in the same range as ZWS (45) in the Industrial Machinery industry. This means that CR’s stock grew similarly to ZWS’s over the last 12 months.
ZWS's P/E Growth Rating (45) in the Industrial Machinery industry is in the same range as CR (47) in the null industry. This means that ZWS’s stock grew similarly to CR’s over the last 12 months.
| CR | ZWS | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 74% | N/A |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 56% | 1 day ago 60% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 73% | 1 day ago 63% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 78% | 1 day ago 53% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 73% | 1 day ago 65% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 68% | 1 day ago 62% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 71% | 8 days ago 63% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | N/A | 16 days ago 60% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 64% | 1 day ago 67% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 68% | 1 day ago 57% |
Advertisement