Zacks Research Issues Positive Forecast for CRAI Earnings

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research upped their Q3 2025 earnings estimates for Charles River Associates in a report issued on Tuesday, August 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $1.79 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.77. The consensus estimate for Charles River Associates’ current full-year earnings is $7.52 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Charles River Associates’ Q4 2025 earnings at $2.10 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $7.98 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.12 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.99 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $8.47 EPS.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The business services provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $186.88 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $180.34 million. Charles River Associates had a net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 25.51%. Charles River Associates has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Barrington Research lifted their price target on shares of Charles River Associates from $224.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen cut Charles River Associates from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Charles River Associates has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $228.00.

Charles River Associates Price Performance

Charles River Associates stock opened at $197.15 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.91. Charles River Associates has a fifty-two week low of $152.57 and a fifty-two week high of $214.01. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $185.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $182.46.

Institutional Trading of Charles River Associates

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. CSM Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Charles River Associates in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,923,000. Jump Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Charles River Associates by 422.5% during the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 18,950 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,551,000 after buying an additional 15,323 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Charles River Associates by 243.8% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,511 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,157,000 after purchasing an additional 8,163 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Charles River Associates in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,424,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Charles River Associates by 28,517.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,582 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,140,000 after purchasing an additional 6,559 shares during the period. 84.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,750 shares of Charles River Associates stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.43, for a total value of $328,002.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 17,323 shares in the company, valued at $3,246,849.89. The trade was a 9.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 4.70% of the company’s stock.

Charles River Associates Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 26th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 26th. Charles River Associates’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.73%.

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.