Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) shares reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $132.17 and last traded at $139.03, with a volume of 166639 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $140.65.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CRAI. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Charles River Associates from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Charles River Associates in a report on Monday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $245.00.

Charles River Associates Stock Down 1.2%

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $159.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.76. The firm has a market cap of $898.13 million, a PE ratio of 19.31, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.75.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The business services provider reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by ($0.03). Charles River Associates had a return on equity of 26.02% and a net margin of 6.22%.The company had revenue of $200.98 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $193.81 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Charles River Associates will post 8.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Charles River Associates Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 26th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Charles River Associates’s payout ratio is 31.67%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 2,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.27, for a total value of $410,107.50. Following the sale, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 4.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charles River Associates

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in 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 valued at $17,052,000 after acquiring an additional 48,892 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Charles River Associates by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,180 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $839,000 after acquiring an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Charles River Associates by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 6,489 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,302,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in Charles River Associates during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $401,000. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its stake in Charles River Associates by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 4,388 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $881,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

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.