Short Interest in CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) Decreases By 17.6%

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 39,900 shares, a drop of 17.6% from the September 15th total of 48,400 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 45,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.9 days. Approximately 0.6% of the company's stock are short sold.

CRA International Price Performance

CRAI traded up $2.81 on Monday, hitting $192.22. The company had a trading volume of 30,317 shares, compared to its average volume of 37,808. The stock has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.14. The company's fifty day moving average price is $165.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $165.34. CRA International has a 1-year low of $81.29 and a 1-year high of $192.99.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The business services provider reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.34. CRA International had a net margin of 6.17% and a return on equity of 22.37%. The business had revenue of $171.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $167.87 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.42 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that CRA International will post 6.93 EPS for the current year.

CRA International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th were given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 27th. CRA International's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CRA International

In related news, CFO Daniel K. Mahoney sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.21, for a total transaction of $155,210.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 11,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,804,161.04. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other CRA International news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.33, for a total value of $1,187,475.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 159,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,208,035.96. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Daniel K. Mahoney sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.21, for a total transaction of $155,210.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 11,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,804,161.04. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,720 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRA International

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its holdings in CRA International by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 3,000 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $517,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of CRA International by 3.6% in the first quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 3,324 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $497,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC increased its position in CRA International by 4.9% during the first quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 4,810 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $719,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in CRA International by 12.1% during the 2nd 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. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in CRA International by 13.6% in the 2nd 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of CRA International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th.

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.