William Blair Has Bullish Estimate for CRAI FY2025 Earnings

Key Points

• William Blair analysts raised their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimate for Charles River Associates to $7.98, up from the previous estimate of $7.80, indicating a positive outlook for the firm.
• Wall Street Zen downgraded Charles River Associates from a "buy" to a "hold" rating, while Barrington Research increased their target price from $224.00 to $228.00 and maintained an "outperform" rating.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.49 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $1.96 and a dividend yield of 1.2%.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI - Free Report) - William Blair lifted their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Charles River Associates in a report issued on Thursday, July 31st. William Blair analyst A. Nicholas now anticipates that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $7.98 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $7.80. The consensus estimate for Charles River Associates' current full-year earnings is $7.52 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Charles River Associates' Q2 2026 earnings at $2.10 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.97 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.30 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $8.70 EPS.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The business services provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $186.88 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $180.34 million.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on CRAI. Wall Street Zen downgraded Charles River Associates from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Barrington Research boosted their target price on shares of Charles River Associates from $224.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st.

Charles River Associates Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of CRAI traded down $1.34 on Monday, reaching $187.54. The stock had a trading volume of 47,279 shares, compared to its average volume of 74,392. Charles River Associates has a twelve month low of $152.57 and a twelve month high of $214.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $185.40 and a 200 day moving average of $182.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of 22.66, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.91.

Charles River Associates Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 26th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 26th. Charles River Associates's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charles River Associates

In related news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.46, for a total value 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 141,545 shares in the company, valued at $26,981,307.90. This represents a 5.03% decrease in their position. 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

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Charles River Associates by 1.6% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 12,706 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,201,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Charles River Associates by 28,517.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,582 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,140,000 after acquiring an additional 6,559 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $714,000 after purchasing an additional 3,532 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Charles River Associates in the fourth quarter worth approximately $281,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Charles River Associates in the 4th quarter valued at $249,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.13% of the company's stock.

Charles River Associates Company Profile

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.