Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Short Interest Down 16.4% in March

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 260,786 shares, a decline of 16.4% from the March 15th total of 311,772 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 221,381 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days. Currently, 4.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Insider Activity at Charles River Associates

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 value of $410,107.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 14,046 shares in the company, valued at $2,560,164.42. The trade was a 13.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 4.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charles River Associates

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CRAI. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Charles River Associates by 86.6% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 105,339 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $17,052,000 after purchasing an additional 48,892 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Charles River Associates by 140.2% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 44,555 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,942,000 after purchasing an additional 26,003 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC lifted its position in Charles River Associates by 72.3% during the third quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 32,642 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,807,000 after purchasing an additional 13,692 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Charles River Associates during the second quarter worth about $1,424,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in Charles River Associates by 154.3% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 5,995 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,250,000 after purchasing an additional 3,638 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

Charles River Associates Stock Performance

Shares of CRAI stock traded up $1.66 on Friday, hitting $163.66. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 28,413 shares, compared to its average volume of 165,431. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $164.42 and its 200-day moving average is $183.25. Charles River Associates has a fifty-two week low of $149.96 and a fifty-two week high of $227.29. The company has a market capitalization of $1.08 billion, a PE ratio of 20.18, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.85.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.01. Charles River Associates had a net margin of 7.29% and a return on equity of 26.15%. The business had revenue of $196.96 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $190.54 million. On average, research analysts forecast that Charles River Associates will post 7.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Charles River Associates Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Charles River Associates’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on CRAI. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $245.00 price objective on shares of Charles River Associates in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Charles River Associates in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $245.00.

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.