Q3 EPS Estimates for Charles River Associates Cut by Sidoti

Key Points

• Sidoti lowered its Q3 2026 EPS estimate for Charles River Associates to $2.22 from $2.29, while forecasting $2.40 for Q4 and $8.77 for full-year 2026.
• CRA reported a quarterly earnings beat, with EPS of $2.16 versus the $2.15 consensus and revenue of $210.81 million versus $198.91 million. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with a $245 target price.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share, equivalent to an annualized $2.28 payout and a 1.3% yield; institutional investors own approximately 84.13% of the stock.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Sidoti dropped their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for Charles River Associates in a note issued to investors on Friday, August 7th. Sidoti analyst M. Riddick now forecasts that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $2.22 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $2.29. The consensus estimate for Charles River Associates' current full-year earnings is $8.47 per share. Sidoti also issued estimates for Charles River Associates' Q4 2026 earnings at $2.40 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $8.77 EPS.

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut Charles River Associates from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Charles River Associates presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $245.00.

Charles River Associates Price Performance

NASDAQ:CRAI opened at $169.31 on Monday. Charles River Associates has a 52 week low of $132.17 and a 52 week high of $227.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of 22.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.66. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $157.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $161.58.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The business services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.01. Charles River Associates had a net margin of 6.20% and a return on equity of 27.31%. The business had revenue of $210.81 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $198.91 million.

Charles River Associates Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Charles River Associates's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Charles River Associates news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 2,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.72, for a total transaction of $332,370.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,956,846.84. This trade represents a 14.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 4.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Charles River Associates

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CRAI. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new position in Charles River Associates in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Charles River Associates by 243.8% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,511 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,157,000 after buying an additional 8,163 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Charles River Associates during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,424,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Charles River Associates by 63.9% during the third quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 6,410 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,337,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 13,692 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.13% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Charles River Associates

Here are the key news stories impacting Charles River Associates this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record Q2 performance and higher outlook: Revenue increased 12.8% year over year to a record $210.8 million, while adjusted EPS reached $2.16, exceeding analyst estimates. Growth was broad-based, with six practices reporting double-digit revenue gains. CRA raised fiscal 2026 revenue guidance to $805 million-$820 million, above the roughly $801 million consensus, and maintained its 12%-13% non-GAAP EBITDA margin outlook. CRAI Q2 Earnings Beat on Broad-Based Growth, Revenue View Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returned to shareholders: CRA announced a quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share, payable September 14 to shareholders of record August 25. The company also returned $31.4 million to shareholders during the quarter through dividends and share repurchases, signaling confidence in cash generation. CRA International Posts Record Q2 Results, Raises Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Credit facility expanded and extended: CRA refinanced and increased its credit facility to as much as $400 million, consisting of a $75 million term loan and a $325 million revolving facility. The additional liquidity may support flexibility and capital allocation, although higher borrowing capacity also increases attention to leverage and financing costs. Charles River Associates Announces Increase and Extension of Credit Facility
• Negative Sentiment: Insider-selling overhang: Recent reported insider activity showed sales but no purchases over the past six months, including sales by CEO Paul Maleh and other executives. While such transactions do not necessarily indicate deteriorating fundamentals, they may weigh on sentiment after the strong earnings report.

About Charles River Associates

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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