CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $210.70 and last traded at $207.54, with a volume of 42518 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $203.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRAI has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered CRA International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Barrington Research boosted their price objective on CRA International from $194.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

CRA International Stock Up 0.7 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a PE ratio of 30.74, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.13. The company’s 50 day moving average is $192.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.58.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.19. CRA International had a return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 6.41%. The firm had revenue of $167.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $166.83 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that CRA International, Inc. will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

CRA International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This is a boost from CRA International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 26th. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total transaction of $1,436,625.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 151,712 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,060,433.60. This represents a 4.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRA International

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its holdings in CRA International by 41.9% during the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 78,136 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $13,699,000 after acquiring an additional 23,078 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of CRA International by 1.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 161,208 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,559 shares in the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P increased its holdings in CRA International by 20.6% during the third quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 8,535 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,496,000 after buying an additional 1,460 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in CRA International by 102.0% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,348 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $938,000 after buying an additional 2,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in CRA International during the third quarter worth $164,000. 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.