Russell Investments Group Ltd. Trims Holdings in CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lessened its holdings in shares of CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI - Free Report) by 53.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,689 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 5,352 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.07% of CRA International worth $878,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CRAI. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of CRA International during the fourth quarter valued at $281,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in CRA International by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,245 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $607,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in CRA International by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,418 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $640,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments bought a new position in CRA International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $656,000. Finally, Foundry Partners LLC grew its stake in CRA International by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 29,115 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $5,450,000 after acquiring an additional 10,455 shares in the last quarter. 84.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Barrington Research upped their price objective on CRA International from $212.00 to $224.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

CRA International Stock Performance

NASDAQ CRAI traded up $1.68 on Friday, reaching $164.04. 79,254 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 40,433. CRA International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $133.54 and a 12 month high of $214.01. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $176.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $185.11. The company has a market cap of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.34, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.96.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The business services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $176.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $166.29 million. CRA International had a net margin of 6.79% and a return on equity of 25.95%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that CRA International, Inc. will post 7.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRA International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. CRA International's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.08%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Daniel K. Mahoney sold 1,000 shares of CRA International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.80, for a total value of $185,800.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 12,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,258,027.40. The trade was a 7.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.50, for a total transaction of $1,463,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 145,806 shares in the company, valued at $28,067,655. The trade was a 4.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 20,850 shares of company stock valued at $3,902,083. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

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.