CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) Lowered to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Friday morning.

CRA International Price Performance

CRA International stock opened at $153.82 on Friday. CRA International has a fifty-two week low of $81.29 and a fifty-two week high of $162.99. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $142.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $115.17. The company has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.22.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 29th. The business services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.53. CRA International had a net margin of 6.73% and a return on equity of 20.91%. The firm had revenue of $161.61 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $149.51 million. On average, analysts expect that CRA International will post 5.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRA International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 28th. 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 170,280 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,611,024.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Daniel K. Mahoney sold 1,000 shares of CRA International stock in a transaction on 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 owns 10,496 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,451,701.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the business’s 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 in the company, valued at approximately $23,611,024.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,487,085 in the last 90 days. 5.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRA International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in CRA International by 12.7% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,615 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $456,000 after buying an additional 519 shares during the last quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC grew its position in CRA International by 4.9% in the first 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 in the last quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 2,504 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised 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 valued at $1,017,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC raised 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 valued at $1,825,000 after purchasing an additional 989 shares in the last quarter. 84.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.