CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 72,000 shares, an increase of 18.8% from the December 15th total of 60,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 35,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Approximately 1.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRAI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barrington Research upped their price objective 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 lowered CRA International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st.

CRA International Stock Performance

Shares of CRAI stock traded down $0.17 on Friday, hitting $182.75. 31,364 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 34,160. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $189.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $179.13. CRA International has a one year low of $104.23 and a one year high of $210.70.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.19. CRA International had a return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 6.41%. The firm 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that CRA International will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRA International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. This is a positive change from CRA International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio is 31.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total value of $1,436,625.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 151,712 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,060,433.60. The trade was a 4.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 5.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of CRA International

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in CRA International by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 161,208 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,268,000 after buying an additional 1,559 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CRA International by 178.8% during the third quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 148,221 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,986,000 after purchasing an additional 95,050 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CRA International by 41.9% during the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 78,136 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $13,699,000 after purchasing an additional 23,078 shares during the period. Foundry Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of CRA International by 1.0% in the third quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 18,660 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,271,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Martingale Asset Management L P raised its position in 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 valued at $1,496,000 after purchasing an additional 1,460 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

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.