Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $167.32, but opened at $150.13. Charles River Associates shares last traded at $168.6880, with a volume of 19,303 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings downgraded Charles River Associates from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Charles River Associates currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $245.00.

Charles River Associates Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.69. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $150.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.48.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The business services provider reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $200.97 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $193.81 million. Charles River Associates had a return on equity of 26.02% and a net margin of 6.22%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Charles River Associates will post 8.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Charles River Associates Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 26th were paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 26th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Charles River Associates’s payout ratio is 31.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 2,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.72, for a total value of $332,370.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,956,846.84. This represents a 14.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 4.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charles River Associates

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new stake in shares of Charles River Associates during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of Charles River Associates by 243.8% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,511 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,157,000 after buying an additional 8,163 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Charles River Associates in the second quarter valued at $1,424,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Charles River Associates by 63.9% in the third quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 6,410 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,337,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC boosted its stake in Charles River Associates by 72.3% during the 3rd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 32,642 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,807,000 after acquiring an additional 13,692 shares during the last quarter. 84.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Charles River Associates Company Profile

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.