CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) Trading Down 3.9% – What’s Next?

Shares of CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) traded down 3.9% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $171.59 and last traded at $170.79. 6,706 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 37,207 shares. The stock had previously closed at $177.68.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

CRA International Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $187.61 and a 200-day moving average of $184.67. The company has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of 25.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.09.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The business services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.44. CRA International had a net margin of 6.79% and a return on equity of 25.95%. The company had revenue of $176.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $166.29 million. Equities research analysts forecast that CRA International, Inc. will post 7.52 EPS for the current year.

CRA International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. CRA International’s payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Daniel K. Mahoney sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.80, for a total transaction of $185,800.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 12,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,258,027.40. This trade represents a 7.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.37, for a total transaction of $398,740.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 153,806 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,664,302.22. The trade was a 1.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,850 shares of company stock valued at $3,902,083 in the last quarter. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRA International

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CRAI. Eagle Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CRA International by 178.8% during the 3rd quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 148,221 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,986,000 after acquiring an additional 95,050 shares in the last quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CRA International during the 4th quarter worth about $9,389,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its position in shares of CRA International by 41.9% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC raised its position in shares of CRA International by 56.0% during the 4th quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 29,115 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,450,000 after purchasing an additional 10,455 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Global Investments acquired a new position in shares of CRA International during the 4th quarter worth about $656,000. 84.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.