Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Sets New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Shares hit a new 52‑week low — CRAI fell to as low as $149.79 (last $150.63) and is trading below its 50‑day ($162.96) and 200‑day ($181.86) moving averages, indicating recent weakness.
• Analysts remain bullish — the consensus rating is "Buy" with an average price target of $245, suggesting significant upside from current levels despite the decline.
• Mixed fundamentals and ownership signals — the firm slightly beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, pays a $0.57 quarterly dividend (≈1.5% yield), saw insider selling, and has high institutional ownership (~84%).

Shares of Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $149.79 and last traded at $150.63, with a volume of 70247 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $154.69.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on CRAI shares. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Charles River Associates in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Charles River Associates in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $245.00.

Charles River Associates Stock Performance

The firm's 50-day moving average price is $162.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $181.86. The firm has a market cap of $993.67 million, a PE ratio of 18.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.85.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.05 by $0.01. Charles River Associates had a net margin of 7.29% and a return on equity of 26.15%. The firm had revenue of $196.96 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $190.54 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Charles River Associates will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Charles River Associates Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th were given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Charles River Associates's dividend payout ratio is 28.04%.

Insider Transactions at Charles River Associates

In other Charles River Associates news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 2,250 shares of Charles River Associates stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,046 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,560,164.42. The trade was a 13.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 4.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CRAI. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Charles River Associates by 86.6% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 105,339 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $17,052,000 after buying an additional 48,892 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Charles River Associates by 140.2% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 44,555 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $8,942,000 after purchasing an additional 26,003 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Charles River Associates by 72.3% in the third quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 32,642 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $6,807,000 after purchasing an additional 13,692 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Charles River Associates during the second quarter worth approximately $1,424,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Charles River Associates by 154.3% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 5,995 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,250,000 after purchasing an additional 3,638 shares during the period. 84.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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