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

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) was the target of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 60,600 shares, a growth of 27.8% from the November 30th total of 47,400 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 37,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CRA International news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total transaction of $1,436,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 151,712 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,060,433.60. This trade represents a 4.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRA International

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of CRA International by 2.9% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,095 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $543,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC grew its holdings in 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. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in CRA International by 13.6% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,280 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of CRA International during the third quarter valued at about $164,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in CRA International during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $221,000. 84.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CRA International Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CRAI opened at $185.42 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $191.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.00, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.13. CRA International has a 52 week low of $97.31 and a 52 week high of $210.70.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last issued 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. The business had revenue of $167.75 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $166.83 million. CRA International had a return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 6.41%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.13 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that CRA International will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

CRA International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. This is an increase from CRA International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.