CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) Trading Down 3.4% - Here's Why

Shares of CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) dropped 3.4% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $184.03 and last traded at $184.03. Approximately 18,262 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 58% from the average daily volume of 43,887 shares. The stock had previously closed at $190.53.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Barrington Research raised their price objective on shares of CRA International from $224.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st.

CRA International Price Performance

The stock's fifty day moving average price is $176.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $183.22. The firm has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.93.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The business services provider reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.29. CRA International had a net margin of 6.79% and a return on equity of 25.95%. The firm had revenue of $181.85 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $176.63 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that CRA International, Inc. will post 7.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRA International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. CRA International's payout ratio is presently 26.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CRA International news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.62, for a total value of $1,429,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 141,545 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,981,307.90. The trade was a 5.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.46, for a total transaction of $329,805.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,073 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,594,497.58. This represents a 8.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 16,750 shares of company stock valued at $3,081,555 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of CRA International

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CRAI. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new stake in shares of CRA International during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CRA International during the 4th quarter worth $249,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in shares of CRA International during the 4th quarter worth $281,000. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of CRA International during the 1st quarter worth $329,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of CRA International during the 1st quarter worth $360,000. 84.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.