CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $216.88 and last traded at $216.88, with a volume of 765 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $192.62.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut 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 CRA International from $194.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

CRA International Stock Up 0.2 %

The company has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.17, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $183.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $174.13.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.19. CRA International had a return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 6.41%. The business had revenue of $167.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $166.83 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.13 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that CRA International, Inc. will post 7.08 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. This is a boost from CRA International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.18%.

Insider Activity at CRA International

In other news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total transaction of $1,436,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 151,712 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,060,433.60. This represents a 4.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRA International

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in shares of CRA International during the first quarter valued at $26,924,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in CRA International by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 161,208 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,268,000 after acquiring an additional 1,559 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in CRA International by 178.8% in the 3rd quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 148,221 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,986,000 after acquiring an additional 95,050 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in CRA International by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 61,153 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $10,532,000 after acquiring an additional 1,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foundry Partners LLC lifted its stake in CRA International by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 18,660 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,271,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. 84.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.