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

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 87,000 shares, an increase of 56.5% from the February 28th total of 55,600 shares. Currently, 1.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 38,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.3 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Barrington Research boosted their target price on CRA International from $212.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of CRA International stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.28, for a total value of $1,322,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 142,022 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,035,638.16. This trade represents a 5.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas Aiken Avery sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.05, for a total transaction of $199,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,669 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,919,864.45. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 20,850 shares of company stock valued at $3,902,083 over the last ninety days. 5.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRA International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in CRA International by 1.0% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,559 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its position 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 valued at $13,699,000 after purchasing an additional 23,078 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of CRA International by 102.0% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,348 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $938,000 after buying an additional 2,700 shares in the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P lifted its stake 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 valued at $1,496,000 after buying an additional 1,460 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in CRA International by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,245 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $607,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. 84.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CRA International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CRAI opened at $173.40 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a PE ratio of 25.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.09. CRA International has a 1 year low of $133.54 and a 1 year high of $214.01. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $186.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $185.79.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The business services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.44. The business had revenue of $176.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $166.29 million. CRA International had a net margin of 6.79% and a return on equity of 25.95%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CRA International will post 7.52 earnings per share for the current year.

CRA International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 4th were issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.13%. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.08%.

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.