BNP Paribas Financial Markets Buys 2,700 Shares of CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI - Free Report) by 102.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,348 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 2,700 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.08% of CRA International worth $938,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Eagle Asset Management Inc. grew 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 valued at $25,986,000 after purchasing an additional 95,050 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of CRA International by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 61,153 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $10,532,000 after purchasing an additional 1,705 shares during the period. Foundry Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of CRA International by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 18,660 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,271,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of CRA International by 34.9% during the 2nd quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,870 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,700,000 after purchasing an additional 2,551 shares during the period. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its stake in shares of CRA International by 48.7% during the 3rd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 4,460 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $782,000 after purchasing an additional 1,460 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.13% of the company's stock.

CRA International Trading Up 0.6 %

CRA International stock traded up $1.18 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $187.62. The stock had a trading volume of 41,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 37,100. The firm's fifty day moving average is $190.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $176.53. The company has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a PE ratio of 30.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.13. CRA International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $97.31 and a 52-week high of $208.38.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.19. CRA International had a net margin of 6.41% and a return on equity of 24.46%. The company had revenue of $167.75 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $166.83 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.13 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that CRA International, Inc. will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRA International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a positive change from CRA International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. CRA International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRAI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barrington Research boosted their price target on CRA International from $194.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com lowered shares of CRA International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st.

Insider Buying and Selling at CRA International

In other news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total transaction of $1,436,625.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 151,712 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,060,433.60. This represents a 4.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

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.