CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) Trading Down 4.7% - Time to Sell?

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) shares traded down 4.7% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $196.80 and last traded at $196.86. 9,053 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 37,329 shares. The stock had previously closed at $206.55.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of CRA International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Barrington Research lifted their price target on shares of CRA International from $194.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th.

CRA International Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.51, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $192.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $177.49.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $167.75 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $166.83 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that CRA International, Inc. will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRA International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid 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 was Tuesday, November 26th. CRA International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in 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 worth $10,532,000 after buying an additional 1,705 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $549,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted 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 period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in CRA International in the second quarter worth approximately $221,000. 84.13% of the stock is owned by 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.