Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Shares Pass Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI)’s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $188.57 and traded as high as $209.88. Charles River Associates shares last traded at $208.59, with a volume of 127,399 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Charles River Associates from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Charles River Associates in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $239.00 price target on shares of Charles River Associates in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.00.

Charles River Associates Price Performance

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $184.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $188.57. The stock has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a PE ratio of 25.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.93.

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

Charles River Associates Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th were given a $0.57 dividend. This is a positive change from Charles River Associates’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 25th. Charles River Associates’s payout ratio is presently 27.40%.

Insider Activity at Charles River Associates

In other news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.38, for a total transaction of $305,165.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,573 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,715,619.74. This trade represents a 10.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 4.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charles River Associates

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Charles River Associates by 1.9% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 171,401 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,120,000 after buying an additional 3,138 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Charles River Associates by 72.3% in 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 in the last quarter. CSM Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Charles River Associates in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $4,923,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Charles River Associates by 61.2% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 18,552 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,869,000 after purchasing an additional 7,041 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in Charles River Associates by 2.7% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 13,049 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,445,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the period. 84.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.