Dearborn Partners LLC Sells 4,072 Shares of CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI)

Dearborn Partners LLC lessened its stake in CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) by 42.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,543 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,072 shares during the quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC’s holdings in CRA International were worth $972,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in CRA International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $115,000. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in shares of CRA International in the second quarter worth approximately $221,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its position in CRA International by 3.6% during the first quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 3,324 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $497,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in CRA International by 2.5% during 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 position 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 worth $518,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

CRA International Stock Down 4.8 %

NASDAQ CRAI opened at $189.25 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $181.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $172.88. CRA International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $92.07 and a 52 week high of $208.38. The firm has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of 30.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.13.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $167.75 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $166.83 million. CRA International had a net margin of 6.41% and a return on equity of 24.46%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.13 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that CRA International, Inc. will post 7.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRA International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. This is a boost from CRA International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. CRA International’s payout ratio is currently 27.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CRA International

In other news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.33, for a total value of $1,187,475.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 159,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,208,035.96. The trade was a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

CRA International 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.