Analyzing Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) and Pagegroup (OTCMKTS:MPGPF)

Pagegroup (OTCMKTS:MPGPF) and Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) are both small-cap business services companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Pagegroup and Charles River Associates”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Pagegroup	$2.22 billion	0.48	$36.35 million	N/A	N/A
Charles River Associates	$731.06 million	1.68	$46.65 million	$8.32	22.43

Charles River Associates has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Pagegroup.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

84.1% of Charles River Associates shares are held by institutional investors. 4.7% of Charles River Associates shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility & Risk

Pagegroup has a beta of 0.94, meaning that its stock price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Charles River Associates has a beta of 0.9, meaning that its stock price is 10% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Pagegroup and Charles River Associates, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Pagegroup	0	3	0	0	2.00
Charles River Associates	0	0	2	0	3.00

Charles River Associates has a consensus price target of $239.00, suggesting a potential upside of 28.05%. Given Charles River Associates’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Charles River Associates is more favorable than Pagegroup.

Profitability

This table compares Pagegroup and Charles River Associates’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Pagegroup	N/A	N/A	N/A
Charles River Associates	7.93%	25.51%	9.12%

Summary

Charles River Associates beats Pagegroup on 10 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Pagegroup

PageGroup plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides recruitment consultancy and other ancillary services in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and the Americas. It offers executive search services, such as search, selection, and talent management solutions for organizations on a permanent and interim basis under the Page Executive brand; and recruitment services for qualified professional and management level on permanent, temporary, and contract or interim basis under the Michael Page brand. The company also provides recruitment services to organizations requiring permanent employees, temporary, or contract staff at technical and administrative support, professional clerical, and junior management levels under the Page Personnel brand; and flexible recruitment outsourcing services under the Page Outsourcing brand. In addition, it is involved in the provision of IT consultancy services. The company was formerly known as Michael Page International plc and changed its name to PageGroup plc in June 2016. PageGroup plc was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Addlestone, the United Kingdom.

About Charles River Associates

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. The company also offers consulting services, including research and analysis, expert testimony, and support in litigation and regulatory proceedings in the areas of finance, accounting, economics, insurance, and forensic accounting and investigations to corporate clients and attorneys. In addition, it offers management consulting services comprising strategy development, performance improvement, corporate strategy and portfolio analysis, estimation of market demand, environmental, social and corporate governance and sustainability strategy and analysis, design and implementation of auction and bidding, new product pricing strategies, survey and market research, valuation of intellectual property and other assets, assessment of competitors’ actions, and analysis of new sources of supply. The company serves various industries, including communications and media; consumer, health, and wellness products; energy; entertainment and leisure; financial services; healthcare; life sciences; manufacturing and industries; natural resources; retail and distribution; technology; and transportation. CRA International, Inc. was incorporated in 1965 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.