Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Here’s Why

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 186,436 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 20% from the previous session’s volume of 155,311 shares.The stock last traded at $157.0550 and had previously closed at $157.94.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CRAI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Charles River Associates from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Charles River Associates in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated 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, Charles River Associates currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $245.00.

Charles River Associates Trading Down 0.1%

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.92. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $177.22 and its 200 day moving average is $187.98.

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

Charles River Associates Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. Charles River Associates’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.04%.

Insider Transactions at Charles River Associates

In related news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 2,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.27, for a total transaction of $410,107.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 14,046 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,560,164.42. This trade represents a 13.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 5.20% 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 made changes to their positions in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 26,003 shares during the last quarter. 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 acquiring an additional 15,323 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Charles River Associates in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,424,000. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 5,401 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its position in Charles River Associates by 154.3% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 5,995 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,250,000 after purchasing an additional 3,638 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.