Lazard Asset Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI)

Lazard Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,674 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 431 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.16% of CRA International worth $1,998,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of CRA International during the fourth quarter worth about $281,000. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CRA International during the fourth quarter worth about $9,389,000. Summit Global Investments purchased a new stake in shares of CRA International during the fourth quarter worth about $656,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of CRA International by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,418 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $640,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foundry Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of CRA International by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 29,115 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,450,000 after acquiring an additional 10,455 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at CRA International

In related news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.37, for a total value of $398,740.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 153,806 shares in the company, valued at $30,664,302.22. This represents a 1.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas Aiken Avery sold 1,000 shares of the business’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 value of $199,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,669 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,919,864.45. The trade was a 6.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 22,600 shares of company stock worth $4,231,888 over the last quarter. Insiders own 4.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Barrington Research boosted their price target on CRA International from $212.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

CRA International Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ CRAI opened at $195.43 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $172.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $183.68. The firm has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.87. CRA International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $133.54 and a 52 week high of $214.01.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The business services provider reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $181.85 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $176.63 million. CRA International had a return on equity of 25.95% and a net margin of 6.79%. As a group, research analysts expect that CRA International, Inc. will post 7.52 earnings per share for the current year.

CRA International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.45%.

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.