Barrington Research Reiterates “Outperform” Rating for CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI)

Barrington Research reaffirmed their outperform rating on shares of CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. Barrington Research currently has a $186.00 target price on the business services provider’s stock.

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of CRA International from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd.

CRA International Price Performance

NASDAQ CRAI opened at $173.15 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.15. The company’s fifty day moving average is $160.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.59. CRA International has a 52-week low of $81.29 and a 52-week high of $187.10.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $171.79 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $160.67 million. CRA International had a net margin of 6.73% and a return on equity of 20.80%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that CRA International will post 6.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRA International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.45%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Christine Rose Detrick sold 2,500 shares of CRA International stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.06, for a total transaction of $410,150.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $778,136.58. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Daniel K. Mahoney sold 1,000 shares of CRA International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.01, for a total transaction of $174,010.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 12,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,196,702.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Christine Rose Detrick sold 2,500 shares of CRA International stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.06, for a total transaction of $410,150.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $778,136.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 11,000 shares of company stock worth $1,940,610. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRA International

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRAI. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in CRA International during the 1st quarter valued at about $115,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in CRA International by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,615 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 519 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in CRA International by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 3,324 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $497,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC lifted its holdings in CRA International by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 4,810 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $719,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in CRA International by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 10,284 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. 84.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.