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

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) shares saw strong trading volume on Tuesday . 92,814 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 14% from the previous session’s volume of 81,104 shares.The stock last traded at $207.2430 and had previously closed at $207.85.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on CRAI shares. Wall Street Zen cut Charles River Associates from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Charles River Associates in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $239.00 price target on shares of Charles River Associates in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Charles River Associates has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.00.

Charles River Associates Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $188.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $189.63. The company has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.87, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.93.

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

Charles River Associates Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This is a positive change from Charles River Associates’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 currently 27.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charles River Associates

In related 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 transaction of $305,165.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,573 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,715,619.74. This represents a 10.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Charles River Associates

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new stake in Charles River Associates during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Longboard Asset Management LP purchased a new position in Charles River Associates in the third quarter valued at about $217,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Charles River Associates during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $329,000. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Charles River Associates during the 1st quarter worth approximately $628,000. Finally, Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Charles River Associates by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 3,910 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $733,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. 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.