CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) Hits New 52-Week High at $162.99

Shares of CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $162.99 and last traded at $153.92, with a volume of 1160 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.53.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised CRA International from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 4th.

CRA International Stock Up 2.7 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $140.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.52. The stock has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.22.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The business services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.53. The company had revenue of $161.61 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.51 million. CRA International had a return on equity of 19.01% and a net margin of 6.17%. On average, research analysts expect that CRA International, Inc. will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

CRA International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 11th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. CRA International's payout ratio is 31.11%.

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 on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.66, for a total transaction of $1,039,950.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 170,280 shares in the company, valued at $23,611,024.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Daniel K. Mahoney sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.31, for a total value of $138,310.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,496 shares in the company, valued at $1,451,701.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.66, for a total value of $1,039,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 170,280 shares in the company, valued at $23,611,024.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,750 shares of company stock worth $1,487,085. 5.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of CRA International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in CRA International by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,615 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $456,000 after buying an additional 519 shares during the period. Bridge City Capital LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 223 shares during the period. Dearborn Partners LLC lifted its position in CRA International by 46.2% during the third quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 7,928 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $799,000 after buying an additional 2,504 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in CRA International by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 10,284 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,017,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its position in CRA International by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 18,462 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,825,000 after buying an additional 989 shares during the period. 84.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.