CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) Hits New 52-Week High - Time to Buy?

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $210.70 and last traded at $207.54, with a volume of 42518 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $203.93.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on CRAI. Barrington Research boosted their price objective 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 report on Friday, November 1st.

CRA International Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.13. The stock's fifty day moving average is $192.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.42.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.19. CRA International had a return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 6.41%. The company had revenue of $167.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $166.83 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.13 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CRA International, Inc. will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

CRA International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a boost from CRA International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. CRA International's dividend payout ratio is 31.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 151,712 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,060,433.60. This trade represents a 4.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of CRA International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of CRA International by 2.9% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,705 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its stake in CRA International by 2.5% during the second quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 3,000 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $517,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of CRA International by 13.6% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,280 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $1,700,000 after purchasing an additional 2,551 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of CRA International in the 2nd quarter worth about $221,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.13% of the company's stock.

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.