CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) Hits New 1-Year High at $150.93

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $150.93 and last traded at $149.58, with a volume of 67837 shares. The stock had previously closed at $145.99.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

CRA International Price Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $121.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $106.86. The stock has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.21.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The business services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.53. CRA International had a net margin of 6.17% and a return on equity of 19.01%. The firm had revenue of $161.61 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.51 million. On average, analysts expect that CRA International, Inc. will post 5.74 earnings per share for the current year.

CRA International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 11th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.12%. CRA International’s payout ratio is 31.11%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.62, for a total transaction of $170,775.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 21,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,949,215.94. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other CRA International news, CFO Daniel K. Mahoney sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,451,701.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.62, for a total transaction of $170,775.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 21,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,949,215.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,487,085 over the last three months. Insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CRA International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRAI. Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its holdings in CRA International by 1,301.5% during the third quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 55,218 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,900,000 after buying an additional 51,278 shares during the last quarter. Spinnaker Trust purchased a new stake in CRA International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,953,000. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its holdings in CRA International by 30.4% during the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 63,927 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,772,000 after buying an additional 14,889 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of CRA International by 17.7% in the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 50,537 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,465,000 after purchasing an additional 7,594 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in shares of CRA International by 4,587.4% in the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 4,828 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 4,725 shares during the period. 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.