CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) Short Interest Down 9.9% in April

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest during the month of April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 68,000 shares, a drop of 9.9% from the April 15th total of 75,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 30,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days. Currently, 1.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was 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 directly owns 170,280 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,611,024.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other CRA International news, Director Christine Rose Detrick sold 2,500 shares of CRA International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.06, for a total value of $410,150.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,743 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $778,136.58. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 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 90 days, insiders have sold 13,250 shares of company stock valued at $1,897,235. 5.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRA International

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Foundry Partners LLC lifted its position in CRA International by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 46,555 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,602,000 after buying an additional 3,245 shares in the last quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC raised its position in CRA International by 55.3% in the first quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 28,675 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,289,000 after purchasing an additional 10,213 shares during the period. Spinnaker Trust acquired a new position in shares of CRA International during the fourth quarter worth about $1,953,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of CRA International by 21.9% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 10,630 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,590,000 after buying an additional 1,912 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of CRA International by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 10,284 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,017,000 after buying an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. 84.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CRA International Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ CRAI traded up $2.76 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $170.10. 40,662 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 31,332. The company has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $147.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $118.68. CRA International has a 52-week low of $81.29 and a 52-week high of $171.67.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The business services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.53. The firm had revenue of $161.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.51 million. CRA International had a net margin of 6.73% and a return on equity of 20.80%. On average, analysts forecast that CRA International will post 5.99 earnings per share for the current year.

CRA International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 24th. CRA International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com lowered CRA International from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd.

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.