Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Stock Price Down 5.5% - Should You Sell?

Shares of Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) dropped 5.5% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $181.17 and last traded at $178.97. Approximately 63,859 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 10% from the average daily volume of 58,227 shares. The stock had previously closed at $189.32.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRAI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Charles River Associates from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 13th. Barrington Research increased their price objective on shares of Charles River Associates from $224.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st.

Charles River Associates Trading Down 1.3%

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.91. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $188.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $182.68.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The business services provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $181.85 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $176.63 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Charles River Associates will post 7.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Charles River Associates Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. Charles River Associates's payout ratio is 26.45%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.46, for a total transaction of $329,805.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 19,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,594,497.58. This trade represents a 8.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.62, for a total transaction of $1,429,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 141,545 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,981,307.90. The trade was 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 currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charles River Associates

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new position in Charles River Associates during the first quarter worth $27,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. bought a new position in Charles River Associates during the fourth quarter worth $249,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in Charles River Associates during the fourth quarter worth $281,000. Strs Ohio bought a new position in Charles River Associates during the first quarter worth $329,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Charles River Associates during the first quarter worth $360,000. Institutional investors own 84.13% of the company's stock.

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.