Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Sets New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) shares hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday after Barrington Research raised their price target on the stock from $239.00 to $245.00. Barrington Research currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Charles River Associates traded as high as $216.06 and last traded at $215.30, with a volume of 106912 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $213.00.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on CRAI. Wall Street Zen lowered Charles River Associates from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Charles River Associates in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $245.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charles River Associates

In related news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.38, for a total value of $305,165.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,573 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,715,619.74. The trade was a 10.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 4.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CRAI. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new stake in Charles River Associates in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Dearborn Partners LLC increased its position in Charles River Associates by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 5,033 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $943,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in Charles River Associates by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 4,253 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $797,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its stake in Charles River Associates by 2.6% in the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 7,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,600,000 after buying an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Charles River Associates by 1.6% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 12,706 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,201,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

Charles River Associates Trading Up 0.8%

The firm has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.90. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $190.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $190.40.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The business services provider reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.26. Charles River Associates had a return on equity of 26.33% and a net margin of 7.74%.The business had revenue of $185.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $179.42 million. On average, analysts forecast that Charles River Associates will post 7.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Charles River Associates Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th were paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 25th. This is a boost from Charles River Associates’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Charles River Associates’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.40%.

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.