CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) Short Interest Up 15.6% in April

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 75,500 shares, an increase of 15.6% from the March 31st total of 65,300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 30,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days. Approximately 1.1% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

CRA International Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of CRAI stock traded down $1.43 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $148.28. 16,124 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 31,364. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $139.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.96. CRA International has a 52-week low of $81.29 and a 52-week high of $153.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.22.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 29th. The business services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.53. CRA International had a net margin of 6.17% and a return on equity of 19.01%. The business had revenue of $161.61 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $149.51 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CRA International will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

CRA International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 12th were paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 11th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.13%. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio is 31.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CRA International news, CFO Daniel K. Mahoney sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.31, for a total transaction of $138,310.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,496 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,451,701.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.62, for a total transaction of $170,775.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 21,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,949,215.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel K. Mahoney sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.31, for a total transaction of $138,310.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,496 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,451,701.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,750 shares of company stock worth $1,487,085. Company insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in CRA International by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,615 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 519 shares during the period. Bridge City Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CRA International by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 4,810 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $719,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CRA International by 46.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 7,928 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $799,000 after acquiring an additional 2,504 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of CRA International by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 10,284 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,017,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CRA International by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 18,462 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,825,000 after acquiring an additional 989 shares during the last quarter. 84.13% of the stock is owned by 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.