CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) Trading Down 7.9% – Here’s What Happened

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) shares dropped 7.9% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $178.62 and last traded at $178.87. Approximately 14,197 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 62% from the average daily volume of 37,449 shares. The stock had previously closed at $194.28.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com cut CRA International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday.

CRA International Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $175.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $169.69.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The business services provider reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $171.44 million for 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 period last year, the firm posted $1.42 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that CRA International, Inc. will post 6.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRA International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This is a positive change from CRA International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.37%.

Insider Activity at CRA International

In related news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.33, for a total value of $1,187,475.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 159,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,208,035.96. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of CRA International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.33, for a total transaction of $1,187,475.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 159,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,208,035.96. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel K. Mahoney sold 1,000 shares of CRA International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.21, for a total value of $155,210.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 11,624 shares in the company, valued at $1,804,161.04. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,720 over the last ninety days. 5.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRA International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased 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. boosted its position in shares of CRA International by 2.9% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,095 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $543,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of CRA International by 3.6% during the first quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 3,324 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $497,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position 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 buying an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of CRA International during the first quarter valued at approximately $115,000. Institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

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.