Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Trading 6.8% Higher – Time to Buy?

Shares of Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) were up 6.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $190.49 and last traded at $192.23. 34,832 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 166,286 shares. The stock had previously closed at $179.98.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Charles River Associates Stock Up 7.4%

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.69. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $152.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $163.64.

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

Charles River Associates Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 26th were given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 26th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Charles River Associates’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.67%.

Insider Transactions at Charles River Associates

In other Charles River Associates news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 2,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.72, for a total transaction of $332,370.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,956,846.84. This trade represents a 14.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in Charles River Associates by 47.4% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 9,187 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,487,000 after purchasing an additional 2,953 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Charles River Associates by 86.6% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 105,339 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $17,052,000 after buying an additional 48,892 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Charles River Associates by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,180 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $839,000 after buying an additional 318 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Charles River Associates by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 6,489 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,302,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Charles River Associates in the fourth quarter worth about $401,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.