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

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 60,400 shares, a growth of 19.6% from the January 31st total of 50,500 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 36,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Barrington Research upped their price target on CRA International from $212.00 to $224.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

Insider Transactions at CRA International

In other news, Director Thomas Aiken Avery sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.05, for a total transaction of $199,050.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 14,669 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,919,864.45. This represents a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.37, for a total value of $398,740.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 153,806 shares in the company, valued at $30,664,302.22. The trade was a 1.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 13,350 shares of company stock worth $2,579,983. Insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

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Institutional Trading of CRA International

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CRAI. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of CRA International by 2.9% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,095 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $543,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of CRA International by 1.0% in the third quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 18,660 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,271,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of CRA International by 178.8% in the third quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 148,221 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $25,986,000 after buying an additional 95,050 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of CRA International in the third quarter valued at approximately $164,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of CRA International by 102.0% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,348 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $938,000 after buying an additional 2,700 shares during the last quarter. 84.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRA International Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CRAI traded down $11.78 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $174.28. The company had a trading volume of 38,023 shares, compared to its average volume of 36,837. CRA International has a fifty-two week low of $133.54 and a fifty-two week high of $214.01. The business's fifty day moving average is $187.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $184.55. The firm has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.09.

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

CRA International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.12%. CRA International's dividend payout ratio is 29.08%.

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.