Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Shares Gap Down – Here’s Why

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $167.32, but opened at $150.13. Charles River Associates shares last traded at $168.6880, with a volume of 19,303 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings downgraded Charles River Associates from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $245.00.

Charles River Associates Stock Up 1.5%

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $151.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.52. The company has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a PE ratio of 23.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.69.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The business services provider reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by ($0.03). Charles River Associates had a net margin of 6.22% and a return on equity of 26.02%. The business had revenue of $200.97 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $193.81 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Charles River Associates will post 8.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Charles River Associates Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 26th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 26th. Charles River Associates’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 2,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.72, for a total value of $332,370.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,956,846.84. The trade was a 14.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 4.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Charles River Associates

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CRAI. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new position in shares of Charles River Associates in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in Charles River Associates during the fourth quarter valued at about $401,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in Charles River Associates by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,180 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $839,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its stake in Charles River Associates by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 4,388 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $881,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Charles River Associates by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 6,489 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,302,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

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.