Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Trading 8.7% Higher – What’s Next?

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI)’s stock price rose 8.7% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $185.00 and last traded at $187.76. Approximately 62,134 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 55% from the average daily volume of 137,432 shares. The stock had previously closed at $172.66.

Key Charles River Associates News

Here are the key news stories impacting Charles River Associates this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sidoti raised multiple quarterly and full-year EPS forecasts for CRAI, lifting FY2026 to $9.11 and FY2027 to $10.16 (and nudging several quarterly estimates higher). These upward revisions signal analyst confidence in revenue and margin progression and help support higher valuation expectations. Sidoti estimate upgrades (MarketBeat)
• Positive Sentiment: Barrington Research reaffirmed an “Outperform” rating and set a $245 price target on CRAI (implying ~30% upside from recent levels), giving the stock a tangible catalyst if investors follow the call. Barrington Research reaffirmation (AmericanBankingNews)
• Positive Sentiment: CRA added a recognized digital-economy expert to its testifying/expert-witness roster, strengthening its capability in high-value litigation and regulatory engagements—an operational move that can help win fee-bearing assignments and support future revenue growth. Hiring announcement (Yahoo Finance)
• Positive Sentiment: Recent reported results (Feb. 26) showed an EPS and revenue beat, which likely underpins both the analyst upgrades and the upbeat price-target reaffirmation—evidence that current fundamentals support the raised estimates. Recent quarterly results (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data reported recently appears anomalous or misreported (values show zeros/NaN), making it an unreliable signal for today’s flow; no clear short-squeeze or heavy short pressure is indicated. (No actionable link available.)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Charles River Associates from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Charles River Associates in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Charles River Associates in a report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Charles River Associates presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $245.00.

Charles River Associates Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $190.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $191.01. The company has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.42, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.92.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.01. Charles River Associates had a return on equity of 26.15% and a net margin of 7.29%.The business had revenue of $196.96 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $190.54 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Charles River Associates will post 7.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Charles River Associates Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. Charles River Associates’s payout ratio is 28.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charles River Associates

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Charles River Associates by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,180 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $839,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Charles River Associates by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 6,489 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,302,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Charles River Associates in the fourth quarter valued at $401,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Charles River Associates by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 4,388 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $881,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Charles River Associates by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 7,495 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,504,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

About Charles River Associates

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ: CRAI) is a global consulting firm specializing in economic, financial and management advisory services. Founded in 1965 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, the company provides expert analysis to support litigation, regulatory proceedings, and strategic decision-making. Its multidisciplinary teams draw on academic rigor and industry experience to deliver quantitative and qualitative insights tailored to clients’ needs.

The firm’s service offerings include competition economics, antitrust and merger analysis, intellectual property valuation and damages assessment, and risk management.