We recently published a list of Mario Gabelli Stock Portfolio: The 10 Best Stocks to BuyIn this article, we will look at how Crane Company (NYSE:CR) compares to the other stocks recommended by Mario Gabelli.

GAMCO Investors, Inc., formerly Gabelli Asset Management Company, is a major American company based in Rye, New York. The company specializes in investment advisory and brokerage services for mutual funds, institutional clients and select investors. The company was founded and is majority owned by Mario Gabelli, who has earned over $750 million in recent years.

Veteran investor Mario Gabelli has made millions of dollars by betting on the unloved companies. He likes to invest in companies that are NOT followed or covered by Wall Street analysts. If the companies are not part of an index, that makes them even more attractive.

The hedge fund manager remains true to active value investing. His investment philosophy of focusing on value stocks rather than growth stocks prevailed even when passive index funds and Nasdaq “FAANG” dominated the market during the US Federal Reserve’s loose interest rate policy. His investment secret is simple: “Find a good company with good management, buy the stock at a reasonable price and then hold that stock for the long term.”

According to Insider Monkey’s database for Q2 2024, industrial goods account for about 21.7% of the total investment portfolio.

What lies in the future for the US stock market according to Gabelli Funds

Gabelli Funds expects the US presidential election to increase market volatility in the second half of 2024. At the same time, the highly anticipated interest rate cuts in September could spur rotation into areas of the market that have lagged throughout the year. The investment firm expects increased volatility as a result of the election. However, economic weakness and volatility are expected to be offset by underlying rotation and lower interest rates.

Gabelli seems optimistic about the U.S. economy as a whole. He believes companies have healthy cash flows and gross margins are better. The only thing that could weigh on U.S. stocks is geopolitical risk.

Gabelli recently participated in Barron’s prestigious roundtable discussion. He estimates that global GDP, as measured by the International Monetary Fund, is expected to be around $115 trillion in 2025. The US contributes 26% and China 17%. The consumer accounts for about 70% of the US economy, and industrial spending accounts for about 12%.

Mario Gabelli mentioned that the Fed is focused on the four Rs. The first is to “keep interest rates high for longer.” The second R is “the continued emptying of the central bank’s balance sheet,” which is currently $60 billion a month, compared to about $95 billion in early 2024. Next, the Fed continues to make efforts to “reduce aggregate demand.” However, higher government spending continues to offset these efforts. Finally, the chairman continues to deploy “rhetoric about reducing inflation.”

The story continues

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and other financing structuring strategies are expected to increase significantly for numerous reasons. Gabelli believes that several private equity funds are nearing the end of their 10-year life cycle and limited partners (LPs) need liquidity. Therefore, this situation will lead to higher turnover. Mario Gabelli expects M&A to pick up globally in H2 2024.

While the S&P 500 is up over 15% year-to-date, the experienced investor believes stocks can deliver an annual growth rate of about 8% in the coming years, well above the returns from fixed income securities.

Mario Gabelli is optimistic about these sectors

Mario Gabelli seems to have an increasing interest in sports franchises. Sports will continue to be the focus of linear television and streaming. Rumor has it that media companies are shelling out large sums for broadcast and streaming rights.

In addition, the experienced hedge fund manager, like other market experts, believes that artificial intelligence is a great technology.

Gabelli’s next choice is natural gas. He believes there is huge potential for prices to increase over the next few years. This is because some producers are shutting down their wells or producing less and demand continues to rise relative to power generators and LNG exports.

At Insider Monkey, we’re obsessed with the stocks hedge funds invest in. The reason is simple: Our research shows we can outperform the market by mimicking the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks each quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points. (Further details can be found here).

An industrial park illuminated at night, highlighting the breadth of the company’s industrial products.

Crane Company (NYSE:CR)

Value of GAMCO investor stake: $180.7 million

Percentage of GAMCO Investors’ 13F portfolio: 1.96%

Number of hedge fund owners: 31

Crane Company (NYSE:CR) is a diversified industrial company engaged in the manufacture of a broad range of products, such as valves, vending machines, payment acceptance devices, and aerospace components.

Over the past year, Crane Company (NYSE:CR) stock has seen a gain of over 70%. This appreciation came after the Crane NXT spin-off. Crane Company (NYSE:CR) products are used in mission-critical applications, so the tolerance for faults seems low (e.g., wastewater pumps/brake control systems used in aircraft). The company’s reputation for quality and reliability should give it a boost going forward.

Over the past few decades, The Crane Company (NYSE:CR) has built well-established and long-standing customer relationships. The company has a significant installed base of equipment that continues to generate recurring revenue. Together, these factors are expected to drive the company’s performance.

In Q2 2024, the company reported revenue of $370.6 million, an increase of $18.2 million, or 5.2%, year-over-year. This was primarily due to revenue growth of $20.5 million, or 5.8%, from the acquisition of the OpSec Security business and core revenue growth of $2.9 million, or 0.8%. The company has lowered its full-year adjusted earnings per share guidance to $4.20 to $4.35. It remains focused on operational excellence and driving profitable growth.

Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Crane Company (NYSE:CR) shares from $157.00 to $168.00. They issued a buy rating on July 18. According to data from Insider Monkey, Crane Company (NYSE:CR) is held by 31 hedge funds as of Q2 2024.

Total CR 4th place on our list of the best stocks to buy according to Mario Gabelli. While we recognize CR’s potential as an investment, we believe some highly undervalued AI stocks promise higher returns and do so in a shorter time frame. If you’re looking for a highly undervalued AI stock that shows more promise than CR but trades at less than 5x earnings, read our report on the cheapest AI stock.

READ MORE: $30 trillion opportunity: The 15 best humanoid robot stocks to buy, according to Morgan Stanley And According to Jim Cramer, NVIDIA has “become a wasteland”.

Disclosure: None. This article was originally published on Insider Monkey.