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

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $187.22 and last traded at $185.37, with a volume of 21312 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $182.49.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $186.00 price objective on shares of CRA International in a report on Tuesday, June 11th. StockNews.com lowered CRA International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday.

CRA International Stock Up 0.7 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.14. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $163.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $164.47.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The business services provider reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $171.44 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.87 million. CRA International had a return on equity of 22.37% and a net margin of 6.17%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.42 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that CRA International, Inc. will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current year.

CRA International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 27th. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CRA International

In other news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.33, for a total transaction of $1,187,475.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 159,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,208,035.96. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of CRA International stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 159,212 shares in the company, valued at $25,208,035.96. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel K. Mahoney sold 1,000 shares of CRA International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.21, for a total transaction of $155,210.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 11,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,804,161.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,750 shares of company stock worth $1,695,720. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CRAI. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in CRA International by 2.5% in the second quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 3,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $517,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $497,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of CRA International by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 4,810 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $719,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in CRA International by 12.1% during the 2nd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,009 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $518,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in CRA International by 13.6% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,280 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $549,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. 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.