Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Stock Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $192.90 and traded as high as $212.83. Charles River Associates shares last traded at $207.22, with a volume of 138,238 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on CRAI. Barrington Research lifted their price objective on Charles River Associates from $239.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered Charles River Associates from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Charles River Associates in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Charles River Associates currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $245.00.

Charles River Associates Trading Down 0.9%

The firm’s fifty day moving average is $199.82 and its 200 day moving average is $192.90. The company has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a PE ratio of 24.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.90.

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

Charles River Associates Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 25th were issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 25th. This is a positive change from Charles River Associates’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. 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 that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.38, for a total value of $305,165.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,573 shares in the company, valued at $2,715,619.74. This trade represents a 10.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 5.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRAI. CSM Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Charles River Associates in the 2nd quarter valued at $4,923,000. Jump Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Charles River Associates by 422.5% in 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 boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 8,163 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Charles River Associates during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,424,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP grew its stake in Charles River Associates by 259.5% during the 2nd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 7,482 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,402,000 after acquiring an additional 5,401 shares in the last quarter. 84.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.