Man Group plc Acquires New Stake in Charles River Associates $CRAI

Man Group plc bought a new position in shares of Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 16,601 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,362,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRAI. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new position in Charles River Associates during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Allworth Financial LP bought a new stake in shares of Charles River Associates in the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Charles River Associates in the 2nd quarter worth $53,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Charles River Associates in the second quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new position in Charles River Associates during the second quarter valued at about $74,000. 84.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Charles River Associates in a report on Friday, August 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $245.00.

Charles River Associates Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ CRAI opened at $172.48 on Wednesday. Charles River Associates has a 12 month low of $132.17 and a 12 month high of $227.29. The company has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $166.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $159.32.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The business services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.01. Charles River Associates had a return on equity of 27.31% and a net margin of 6.20%.The firm had revenue of $210.81 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $198.91 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Charles River Associates will post 8.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Charles River Associates Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Charles River Associates’s payout ratio is currently 30.36%.

Insider Activity at Charles River Associates

In related news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 2,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.25, for a total value of $389,812.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,932,257.25. This trade represents a 16.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 4.50% of the company’s stock.

About Charles River Associates

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.