Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Lowered to "Hold" Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) has been downgraded to a "hold" rating by Wall Street Zen from a previous "buy" rating.
• The stock currently retains a consensus rating of "Buy" with an average target price set at $235.00, despite the downgrade.
• Recently, institutional investors have significantly increased their stakes in CRAI, with hedge funds owning 84.13% of the stock.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Sunday.

CRAI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $235.00 target price on shares of Charles River Associates in a research report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Charles River Associates in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $235.00.

Charles River Associates Price Performance

Charles River Associates stock opened at $180.53 on Friday. Charles River Associates has a 1-year low of $152.57 and a 1-year high of $214.66. The stock has a market cap of $1.19 billion, a PE ratio of 21.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.90. The stock's fifty day moving average is $194.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $185.28.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The business services provider reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.05. Charles River Associates had a return on equity of 25.51% and a net margin of 7.93%.The company had revenue of $186.88 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $180.34 million. Charles River Associates has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Charles River Associates will post 7.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.43, for a total transaction of $328,002.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 17,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,246,849.89. This represents a 9.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 4.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Charles River Associates

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRAI. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in Charles River Associates by 10.7% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 5,190 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $899,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Charles River Associates during the first quarter worth about $360,000. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Charles River Associates during the first quarter worth about $628,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new position in shares of Charles River Associates during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Charles River Associates during the first quarter worth about $329,000. 84.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Charles River Associates

CRA International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides economic, financial, and management consulting services worldwide. It advises clients on economic and financial matters pertaining to litigation and regulatory proceedings; and guides corporations through business strategy and performance-related issues.

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