CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 72,000 shares, a drop of 11.8% from the February 29th total of 81,600 shares. Currently, 1.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 32,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised CRA International from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th.

Insider Transactions at CRA International

In other news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,250 shares of CRA International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.62, for a total value of $170,775.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 21,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,949,215.94. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Daniel K. Mahoney sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.31, for a total value of $138,310.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,496 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,451,701.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.62, for a total value of $170,775.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 21,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,949,215.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,487,085. Corporate insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRA International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Isthmus Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of CRA International by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 18,462 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,825,000 after buying an additional 989 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of CRA International by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 10,284 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,017,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Spinnaker Trust purchased a new position in shares of CRA International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,953,000. Foundry Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of CRA International by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 46,555 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,602,000 after buying an additional 3,245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CRA International by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,615 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $456,000 after buying an additional 519 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

CRA International Stock Performance

Shares of CRAI opened at $149.58 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $123.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.21. CRA International has a 52 week low of $81.29 and a 52 week high of $150.93.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 29th. The business services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.53. The firm had revenue of $161.61 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $149.51 million. CRA International had a return on equity of 19.01% and a net margin of 6.17%. On average, equities analysts forecast that CRA International will post 5.74 earnings per share for the current year.

CRA International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 11th. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.11%.

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.