CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) Shares Pass Above 200-Day Moving Average of $111.25

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI)’s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $111.25 and traded as high as $142.97. CRA International shares last traded at $141.40, with a volume of 33,904 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded CRA International from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th.

CRA International Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $134.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $111.79. The company has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.22.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The business services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.53. CRA International had a return on equity of 19.01% and a net margin of 6.17%. The business had revenue of $161.61 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $149.51 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that CRA International, Inc. will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

CRA International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 11th. CRA International’s payout ratio is 31.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.66, for a total transaction of $1,039,950.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 170,280 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,611,024.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other CRA International news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.66, for a total transaction of $1,039,950.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 170,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,611,024.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas Aiken Avery sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.05, for a total value of $138,050.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 15,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,140,327.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,487,085. Corporate insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRA International

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CRAI. Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of CRA International by 1,301.5% in the 3rd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 55,218 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,900,000 after acquiring an additional 51,278 shares during the last quarter. Spinnaker Trust purchased a new position in shares of CRA International in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,953,000. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of CRA International by 30.4% in the 1st quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 63,927 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,772,000 after acquiring an additional 14,889 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of CRA International by 17.7% in the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 50,537 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,465,000 after purchasing an additional 7,594 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in shares of CRA International by 4,587.4% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 4,828 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 4,725 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.