Short Interest in CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) Increases By 56.5%

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 87,000 shares, an increase of 56.5% from the February 28th total of 55,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 38,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.3 days. Currently, 1.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Barrington Research boosted their target price on shares of CRA International from $212.00 to $224.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th.

CRA International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CRAI opened at $173.40 on Friday. CRA International has a fifty-two week low of $133.54 and a fifty-two week high of $214.01. The company has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $186.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $185.79.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The business services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $176.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $166.29 million. CRA International had a return on equity of 25.95% and a net margin of 6.79%. On average, analysts forecast that CRA International will post 7.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRA International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 4th. CRA International’s payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

Insider Activity at CRA International

In related news, Director Thomas Aiken Avery sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.05, for a total value of $199,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,669 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,919,864.45. This represents a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.37, for a total value of $398,740.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 153,806 shares in the company, valued at $30,664,302.22. This trade represents a 1.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 20,850 shares of company stock valued at $3,902,083 over the last 90 days. 5.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of CRA International

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of CRA International during the 3rd quarter worth $164,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in CRA International by 102.0% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,348 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $938,000 after purchasing an additional 2,700 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P grew its holdings in CRA International by 20.6% during the third quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 8,535 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,496,000 after purchasing an additional 1,460 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in CRA International by 1.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 161,208 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,268,000 after buying an additional 1,559 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its stake in shares of CRA International by 41.9% in the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 78,136 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $13,699,000 after buying an additional 23,078 shares during the period. 84.13% of the stock is currently 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.