CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) Shares Pass Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $177.72 and traded as high as $190.27. CRA International shares last traded at $188.73, with a volume of 16,316 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barrington Research upped their price target on CRA International from $194.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com cut shares of CRA International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st.

CRA International Stock Up 0.2 %

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $192.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $177.80. The company has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of 30.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.13.

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

CRA International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. This is a boost from CRA International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 26th. CRA International’s payout ratio is presently 31.72%.

Insider Activity at CRA International

In other CRA International news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 151,712 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,060,433.60. This represents a 4.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 5.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of CRA International during the third quarter worth $164,000. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of CRA International in the second quarter valued at about $221,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its stake 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. increased its stake in shares of CRA International by 2.9% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,095 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $543,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in CRA International by 13.6% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,280 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. 84.13% of the stock is currently 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.