CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) Short Interest Update

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 48,300 shares, a decrease of 18.5% from the October 15th total of 59,300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 36,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.3 days. Currently, 0.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.33, for a total value of $1,187,475.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 159,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,208,035.96. This represents a 4.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of CRA International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CRAI. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in CRA International during the first quarter valued at $26,924,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in CRA International during the third quarter valued at $573,000. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in CRA International by 34.9% during the second 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 last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in CRA International by 21.9% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 10,630 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,912 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in CRA International by 12.1% during the second quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,009 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $518,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

CRA International Price Performance

CRAI traded down $2.99 on Friday, reaching $186.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 21,087 shares, compared to its average volume of 34,873. The stock has a market cap of $1.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.13. CRA International has a 1 year low of $92.07 and a 1 year high of $208.38. The business's 50 day moving average is $181.87 and its 200 day moving average is $173.51.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.19. CRA International had a return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 6.41%. The business had revenue of $167.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $166.83 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.13 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that CRA International will post 7.08 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. This is a positive change from CRA International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. CRA International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.18%.

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.