CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) saw a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 72,000 shares, an increase of 18.8% from the December 15th total of 60,600 shares. Currently, 1.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 35,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 151,712 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,060,433.60. This trade represents a 4.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of CRA International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRAI. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of CRA International during the third quarter valued at about $164,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in CRA International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $221,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in CRA International by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,095 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $543,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in CRA International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $573,000. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its holdings in CRA International by 48.7% in the 3rd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 4,460 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $782,000 after purchasing an additional 1,460 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

CRA International Stock Performance

NASDAQ CRAI traded down $0.17 during trading on Friday, hitting $182.75. 31,364 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 34,160. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.57, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a 50 day moving average of $189.28 and a 200-day moving average of $179.13. CRA International has a 12-month low of $104.23 and a 12-month high of $210.70.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 6.41% and a return on equity of 24.46%. 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 EPS. On average, analysts expect that CRA International will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

CRA International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. This is a positive change from CRA International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. CRA International’s payout ratio is presently 31.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CRAI shares. Barrington Research raised their price target on shares of 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.

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.