CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) Stock Price Down 4.7% – Here’s What Happened

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) shares fell 4.7% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $196.80 and last traded at $196.86. 9,053 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 37,329 shares. The stock had previously closed at $206.55.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

CRA International Stock Down 3.0 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a PE ratio of 29.80, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $192.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $177.58.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last posted its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $167.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $166.83 million. CRA International had a net margin of 6.41% and a return on equity of 24.46%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.13 EPS. Equities analysts predict that CRA International, Inc. will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRA International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 26th. This is a boost from CRA International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CRA International news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total transaction of $1,436,625.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 151,712 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,060,433.60. This trade represents a 4.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRA International

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its stake in shares of CRA International by 41.9% in the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 78,136 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $13,699,000 after acquiring an additional 23,078 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in CRA International by 1.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 161,208 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,268,000 after acquiring an additional 1,559 shares during the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P increased its position in shares of CRA International by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 8,535 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,496,000 after purchasing an additional 1,460 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of CRA International by 102.0% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,348 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $938,000 after acquiring an additional 2,700 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in CRA International during the third quarter worth $164,000. 84.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About CRA International

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.