CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) Shares Down 4.7% – What’s Next?

Shares of CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) were down 4.7% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $196.80 and last traded at $196.86. Approximately 9,053 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 37,329 shares. The stock had previously closed at $206.55.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded CRA International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Barrington Research raised their price objective on CRA International from $194.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th.

CRA International Price Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average is $192.40 and its 200-day moving average is $177.42. The firm has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.13.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last released its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $167.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $166.83 million. CRA International had a return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 6.41%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that CRA International, Inc. will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

CRA International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This is an increase from CRA International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. CRA International’s payout ratio is 31.72%.

Insider Transactions at CRA International

In related news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total value of $1,436,625.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 151,712 shares in the company, valued at $29,060,433.60. This trade represents a 4.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CRAI. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of CRA International during the third quarter valued at approximately $164,000. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in CRA International during the 2nd quarter worth $221,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its stake in shares of CRA International by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 3,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $517,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted 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 purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in CRA International during the third quarter worth about $573,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.