SG Americas Securities LLC Buys 3,532 Shares of Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI)

SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI - Free Report) by 599.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,121 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,532 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Charles River Associates worth $714,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Charles River Associates during the fourth quarter valued at $9,389,000. Foundry Partners LLC raised its stake 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 buying an additional 10,455 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of Charles River Associates by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 12,706 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,201,000 after buying an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Charles River Associates by 28,517.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,582 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,140,000 after buying an additional 6,559 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Charles River Associates by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 3,982 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $745,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on CRAI. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Charles River Associates from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Barrington Research upped 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.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.62, for a total value of $1,429,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 141,545 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,981,307.90. This trade represents a 5.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,594,497.58. The trade was a 8.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 4.70% of the company's stock.

Charles River Associates Trading Up 2.8%

CRAI traded up $5.19 on Tuesday, hitting $188.03. 114,579 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 49,771. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $179.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $182.44. Charles River Associates has a one year low of $133.54 and a one year high of $214.01. The firm has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.93.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The business services provider reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $181.85 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $176.63 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Charles River Associates will post 7.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Charles River Associates Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. Charles River Associates's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.45%.

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.