Short Interest in Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Expands By 37.9%

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) saw a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 197,516 shares, an increase of 37.9% from the December 15th total of 143,208 shares. Approximately 3.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 106,953 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days. Based on an average daily volume of 106,953 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days. Approximately 3.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Charles River Associates news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 15,573 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,715,619.74. This represents a 10.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 4.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Charles River Associates by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 171,401 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,120,000 after purchasing an additional 3,138 shares during the period. CSM Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Charles River Associates during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,923,000. Jump Financial LLC increased its position in Charles River Associates by 422.5% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 18,950 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,551,000 after purchasing an additional 15,323 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Charles River Associates in the first quarter valued at approximately $329,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its position in Charles River Associates by 259.5% during the second quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 7,482 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,402,000 after buying an additional 5,401 shares in the last quarter. 84.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Charles River Associates Stock Performance

CRAI stock opened at $210.74 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $196.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $192.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.33, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.90. Charles River Associates has a one year low of $152.57 and a one year high of $227.29.

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

Charles River Associates Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th were issued a $0.57 dividend. This is a boost from Charles River Associates’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 25th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Charles River Associates’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.40%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on CRAI. Barrington Research increased their price objective on shares of 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 cut shares of Charles River Associates from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Charles River Associates in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.