Martingale Asset Management L P Grows Stake in CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI)

Martingale Asset Management L P raised its stake in CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) by 20.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,535 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,460 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P owned approximately 0.13% of CRA International worth $1,496,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Eagle Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of CRA International by 178.8% in the third quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 148,221 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,986,000 after acquiring an additional 95,050 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of CRA International by 2.9% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 61,153 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $10,532,000 after acquiring an additional 1,705 shares during the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of CRA International by 1.0% in the third quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 18,660 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,271,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of CRA International by 34.9% during the second quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,870 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,700,000 after buying an additional 2,551 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of CRA International by 102.0% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,348 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $938,000 after buying an additional 2,700 shares during the last quarter. 84.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CRA International Price Performance

CRA International stock opened at $195.03 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a PE ratio of 31.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.13. The business’s fifty day moving average is $187.73 and its 200 day moving average is $175.64. CRA International, Inc. has a one year low of $92.07 and a one year high of $208.38.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $167.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $166.83 million. CRA International had a return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 6.41%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that CRA International, Inc. will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRA International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. This is a boost from CRA International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on CRAI. Barrington Research increased their price objective on CRA International from $194.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com cut CRA International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st.

CRA International 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.