CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) Short Interest Up 18.8% in January

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 72,000 shares, a growth of 18.8% from the December 31st total of 60,600 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 35,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.0 days. Approximately 1.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on CRAI shares. StockNews.com downgraded CRA International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Barrington Research increased their target price on shares of CRA International from $194.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th.

CRA International Stock Performance

CRAI stock traded down $3.70 during trading on Friday, reaching $183.58. 30,095 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 28,731. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $187.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $179.89. CRA International has a 12 month low of $104.23 and a 12 month high of $210.70. The company has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.14.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.19. CRA International had a return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 6.41%. The firm had revenue of $167.75 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $166.83 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.13 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that CRA International will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total value of $1,436,625.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 151,712 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,060,433.60. This trade represents a 4.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRA International

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of CRAI. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in CRA International in the 3rd quarter worth $164,000. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in shares of CRA International in the second quarter worth about $221,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CRA International by 2.9% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,095 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $543,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in CRA International in the third quarter valued at approximately $573,000. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in CRA International by 48.7% in the 3rd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 4,460 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $782,000 after buying an additional 1,460 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

CRA International Company Profile

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.