CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) Reaches New 52-Week High at $164.93

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $164.93 and last traded at $164.03, with a volume of 23105 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.70.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded CRA International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd.

CRA International Stock Up 1.4 %

The firm has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $145.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $116.61.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.53. CRA International had a return on equity of 20.80% and a net margin of 6.73%. The firm had revenue of $161.61 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $149.51 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that CRA International, Inc. will post 5.99 EPS for the current year.

CRA International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. 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, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.66, for a total transaction of $1,039,950.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 170,280 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,611,024.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.66, for a total value of $1,039,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 170,280 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,611,024.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Daniel K. Mahoney sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.31, for a total value of $138,310.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,496 shares in the company, valued at $1,451,701.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,750 shares of company stock worth $1,487,085 in the last quarter. 5.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRA International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Spinnaker Trust bought a new position in CRA International in the 4th quarter worth about $1,953,000. Isthmus Partners LLC raised its position in CRA International by 55.3% during the 1st quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 28,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,289,000 after purchasing an additional 10,213 shares in the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CRA International by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 46,555 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,602,000 after buying an additional 3,245 shares during the period. Dearborn Partners LLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 2,504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of CRA International by 21.9% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 10,630 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,590,000 after acquiring an additional 1,912 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

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.