KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Purchases Shares of 1,500 CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,500 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $281,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of CRAI. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its position in shares of CRA International by 41.9% in the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 78,136 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $13,699,000 after purchasing an additional 23,078 shares in the last quarter. Summit Global Investments purchased a new stake in CRA International in the fourth quarter valued at about $656,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 2,700 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew 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 worth $28,268,000 after acquiring an additional 1,559 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of CRA International by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,245 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $607,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Barrington Research boosted their target price on shares of CRA International from $212.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

Insider Transactions at CRA International

In other news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.51, for a total value of $333,392.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,631,692.13. The trade was a 8.41 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.50, for a total value of $1,463,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 145,806 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,067,655. This trade represents a 4.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,850 shares of company stock worth $3,902,083 over the last 90 days. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

CRA International Price Performance

Shares of CRAI stock opened at $165.78 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $184.80 and a 200 day moving average of $186.23. CRA International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $133.54 and a 1 year high of $214.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.96.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The business services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $176.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $166.29 million. CRA International had a return on equity of 25.95% and a net margin of 6.79%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that CRA International, Inc. will post 7.52 earnings per share for the current year.

CRA International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.08%.

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.