Gerard H. Gifford, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Crown Holdings (NASDAQ: CCK), completed a sale of 13,373 shares of common stock on February 20, 2026. The shares traded at $113.975 each, producing a total transaction value of $1,524,187.
Following the disposition, Gifford retains direct ownership of 106,310 Crown Holdings shares. In addition to his direct holdings, Gifford indirectly holds 5,859 shares through a company 401(k) plan.
The insider sale occurred against the backdrop of Crown's fourth-quarter 2025 financial results, which showed adjusted earnings per share of $1.74. That figure exceeded the forecasted $1.70, representing a modest beat versus expectations. Despite the upside on EPS, the company’s stock moved lower in premarket trading, reflecting investor concerns about the company’s forward growth trajectory.
Analyst reactions to Crown’s recent performance have been mixed, with several major firms adjusting ratings and price targets in the days following the earnings release.
- RBC Capital raised its price target on Crown Holdings to $140 and kept an Outperform rating, citing the company’s consistent performance and strong execution over the last eight quarters.
- UBS downgraded the stock from Buy to Neutral, setting a price target of $126 and pointing to a period of more moderate earnings growth.
- Wolfe Research moved its recommendation from Outperform to Peerperform, indicating a more balanced risk/reward profile after recent rallies in the stock.
- JPMorgan lowered its recommendation from Overweight to Neutral while modestly raising its price target to $115, citing valuation pressures following a substantial run-up in the share price.
Company-level operational items cited in analyst commentary include solid volume growth and meaningful deleveraging progress. Crown Holdings is expected to reach a net leverage ratio of approximately 2.5x by 2025, a metric investors are monitoring as part of the company’s financial trajectory.
Taken together, the insider sale, the quarterly results that narrowly beat estimates, and the varied analyst responses create a mixed signal for market participants evaluating Crown Holdings’ near-term prospects. Investors continue to watch execution on volume growth and the stated deleveraging path as they assess the stock’s valuation and growth outlook.