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

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 59,300 shares, a growth of 48.6% from the September 30th total of 39,900 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 43,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days.

CRA International Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of CRA International stock traded up $3.86 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $196.17. 32,346 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 37,614. The stock has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.05, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.14. CRA International has a 52 week low of $81.29 and a 52 week high of $198.02. The firm's fifty day moving average is $173.97 and its 200-day moving average is $169.12.

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

CRA International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 27th. CRA International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Daniel K. Mahoney sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.21, for a total transaction of $155,210.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 11,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,804,161.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other CRA International news, CFO Daniel K. Mahoney sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.21, for a total value of $155,210.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 11,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,804,161.04. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $25,208,035.96. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,720. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of CRA International

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CRAI. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of CRA International during the first quarter valued at approximately $115,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of CRA International during the second quarter valued at approximately $221,000. 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 acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 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 acquiring an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.13% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com lowered CRA International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th.

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.