Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Stock Price Down 9.6% Following Weak Earnings

Shares of Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) fell 9.6% during trading on Thursday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as low as $138.30 and last traded at $138.0460. 36,648 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 166,774 shares. The stock had previously closed at $152.64.

The business services provider reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.02 by ($0.03). Charles River Associates had a return on equity of 26.15% and a net margin of 7.29%.The business had revenue of $200.98 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $193.81 million.

Charles River Associates Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Charles River Associates’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CRAI. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of Charles River Associates in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Charles River Associates from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Charles River Associates presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $245.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Charles River Associates news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 2,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.27, for a total transaction of $410,107.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,046 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,560,164.42. This represents a 13.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 4.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Charles River Associates

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of Charles River Associates by 154.3% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 5,995 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,250,000 after acquiring an additional 3,638 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Charles River Associates by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 6,489 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,302,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its stake in shares of Charles River Associates by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 4,388 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $881,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 7,041 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Charles River Associates in the 2nd quarter worth $1,424,000. Institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

Charles River Associates Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $885.65 million, a P/E ratio of 17.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.75. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $162.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.30.

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.