CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) Short Interest Update

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) saw a significant decrease in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 48,300 shares, a decrease of 18.5% from the October 15th total of 59,300 shares. Currently, 0.7% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 36,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.3 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at CRA International

In related news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of CRA International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.33, for a total value of $1,187,475.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 159,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,208,035.96. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CRA International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $115,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of CRA International during the third quarter worth $164,000. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in shares of CRA International during the second quarter worth $221,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in CRA International by 2.5% in the second quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 3,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $517,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in CRA International by 12.1% in the second quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,009 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $518,000 after buying an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

CRA International Stock Down 1.6 %

CRA International stock opened at $186.26 on Friday. CRA International has a 52-week low of $92.07 and a 52-week high of $208.38. The firm has a market cap of $1.26 billion, a PE ratio of 30.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.13. The company’s 50 day moving average is $181.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $173.34.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.19. CRA International had a return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 6.41%. The business had revenue of $167.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $166.83 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.13 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that CRA International will post 7.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRA International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. This is a positive change from CRA International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on CRAI. StockNews.com cut CRA International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Barrington Research lifted their target price on CRA International from $194.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th.

CRA International Company Profile

CRA International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides economic, financial, and management consulting services worldwide. It advises clients on economic and financial matters pertaining to litigation and regulatory proceedings; and guides corporations through business strategy and performance-related issues.