Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Sees Large Volume Increase - Time to Buy?

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 150,394 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 212% from the previous session's volume of 48,153 shares.The stock last traded at $183.85 and had previously closed at $183.39.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CRAI. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Charles River Associates from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Barrington Research upped their price target on Charles River Associates from $224.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st.

Charles River Associates Stock Down 1.3%

The business has a fifty day moving average of $179.52 and a 200 day moving average of $182.49. The company has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.93.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The business services provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.29. Charles River Associates had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 25.88%. The business had revenue of $181.85 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $176.63 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Charles River Associates will post 7.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Charles River Associates Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. Charles River Associates's payout ratio is presently 26.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Charles River Associates news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,750 shares of Charles River Associates stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.46, for a total transaction of $329,805.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,594,497.58. The trade was a 8.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.62, for a total value of $1,429,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 141,545 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,981,307.90. This represents a 5.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Charles River Associates in the 4th quarter worth about $9,389,000. Foundry Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Charles River Associates by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 29,115 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $5,450,000 after purchasing an additional 10,455 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Charles River Associates by 28,517.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,582 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,140,000 after purchasing an additional 6,559 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Charles River Associates during the 1st quarter valued at $628,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Charles River Associates by 599.7% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 4,121 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $714,000 after buying an additional 3,532 shares in the last quarter. 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.