Barrington Research Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) Stock

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) had its price objective increased by Barrington Research from $212.00 to $224.00 in a report published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Barrington Research currently has an outperform rating on the business services provider’s stock. Barrington Research also issued estimates for CRA International’s Q1 2025 earnings at $1.99 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.77 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.91 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $2.23 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $7.90 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $8.47 EPS.

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of CRA International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st.

CRA International Stock Performance

CRAI opened at $194.59 on Monday. CRA International has a fifty-two week low of $114.00 and a fifty-two week high of $214.01. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $187.72 and its 200 day moving average is $182.79. The stock has a market cap of $1.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.13.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The business services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.44. CRA International had a return on equity of 25.95% and a net margin of 6.79%. The company had revenue of $176.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $166.29 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that CRA International will post 7.52 earnings per share for the current year.

CRA International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CRA International news, Director Thomas Aiken Avery sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.05, for a total transaction of $199,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 14,669 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,919,864.45. This represents a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.37, for a total value of $398,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 153,806 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,664,302.22. The trade was a 1.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of CRA International by 2.9% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,095 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $543,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of CRA International by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,418 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $640,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of CRA International by 1.0% during the third quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 18,660 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,271,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in CRA International by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 3,982 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $745,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in CRA International in the third quarter valued at $164,000. 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.