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

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 72,000 shares, an increase of 18.8% from the December 31st total of 60,600 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 35,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.0 days. Approximately 1.1% of the company's stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRAI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barrington Research raised their target price on shares of 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.

CRA International Trading Down 0.1 %

NASDAQ CRAI traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $186.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,039 shares, compared to its average volume of 29,890. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.11, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.13. CRA International has a twelve month low of $105.55 and a twelve month high of $210.70. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $187.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $179.98.

Insider Activity at CRA International

In other news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of CRA International stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total value of $1,436,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 151,712 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,060,433.60. The trade was a 4.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in CRA International by 1.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 161,208 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $28,268,000 after acquiring an additional 1,559 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 95,050 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its stake in shares of CRA International by 41.9% during the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 78,136 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $13,699,000 after acquiring an additional 23,078 shares in the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of CRA International by 1.0% during 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. Finally, Martingale Asset Management L P increased its stake in shares of CRA International by 20.6% in the third quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 8,535 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,496,000 after purchasing an additional 1,460 shares during the period. 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.