Short Interest in CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) Expands By 9.5%

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 75,100 shares, an increase of 9.5% from the June 30th total of 68,600 shares. Currently, 1.1% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 38,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Insider Activity

In other CRA International news, Director Christine Rose Detrick sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.06, for a total value of $410,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $778,136.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.86, for a total transaction of $1,356,450.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 166,712 shares in the company, valued at $30,151,532.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Christine Rose Detrick sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.06, for a total value of $410,150.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $778,136.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,940,610 in the last ninety days. 5.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRA International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CRAI. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of CRA International during the 1st quarter worth about $115,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its position in CRA International by 3.6% during the first quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 3,324 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $497,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of CRA International by 2.5% during the second quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 3,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $517,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of CRA International by 12.1% in the second quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,009 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $518,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridge City Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of CRA International by 4.9% during the first quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 4,810 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $719,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the period. 84.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRA International Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of CRAI traded up $0.65 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $178.93. The stock had a trading volume of 21,565 shares, compared to its average volume of 35,737. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $174.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $148.19. The firm has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a PE ratio of 29.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.17. CRA International has a one year low of $81.29 and a one year high of $187.10.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.57. CRA International had a return on equity of 20.80% and a net margin of 6.73%. The firm had revenue of $171.79 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.67 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that CRA International will post 6.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRA International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CRAI shares. StockNews.com cut CRA International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $186.00 price target on shares of CRA International in a research report on Tuesday, June 11th.

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.