Dearborn Partners LLC Sells 4,072 Shares of CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI)

Dearborn Partners LLC reduced its holdings in shares of CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) by 42.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,543 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,072 shares during the quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC owned about 0.08% of CRA International worth $972,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CRAI. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its holdings in CRA International by 2.5% during 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 in the last quarter. 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. Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in CRA International by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 3,324 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $497,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. 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. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of CRA International during the 1st quarter valued at $115,000. 84.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CRA International Trading Down 4.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ CRAI opened at $189.25 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.13. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $181.32 and its 200 day moving average is $172.88. CRA International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $92.07 and a 1-year high of $208.38.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $167.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $166.83 million. CRA International had a net margin of 6.41% and a return on equity of 24.46%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that CRA International, Inc. will post 7.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRA International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. This is a boost from CRA International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered CRA International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Barrington Research increased their price target on shares of CRA International from $194.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of CRA International stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $25,208,035.96. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 5.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.