Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Issues Earnings Results

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The business services provider reported $2.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.12, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $214.92 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $199.04 million. Charles River Associates had a return on equity of 27.31% and a net margin of 6.20%.

Here are the key takeaways from Charles River Associates’ conference call:

• CRA posted record third-quarter revenue of $214.9 million, up 15.6% year over year, with record net income, diluted EPS and EBITDA. Seven practices grew, and Forensic Services, Life Sciences, and Risk, Investigations & Analytics each delivered double-digit revenue growth.
• Management raised fiscal 2026 constant-currency revenue guidance to $830 million–$840 million, from $805 million–$820 million, and narrowed its non-GAAP EBITDA margin outlook to 12.2%–12.8%.
• Weekly project lead flow and new project originations each increased more than 20% year over year; consultant utilization reached 78%, and headcount grew 6.2%. Management said it remains comfortable with mid-single-digit headcount growth for the full year, rather than guiding to high-single-digit growth.
• CRA raised its quarterly dividend 17.5% to $0.67 per share, marking its tenth consecutive annual increase. The company returned $60.3 million to shareholders year to date through dividends and share repurchases.
• Global M&A activity fell 41% sequentially in the third quarter, and management said it is monitoring whether the slowdown is temporary or a broader trend. CRA also expects fiscal 2026 non-cash forgivable-loan amortization expense to rise by about $15 million year over year.

Charles River Associates Trading Up 1.3%

NASDAQ:CRAI opened at $205.51 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $176.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $166.14. Charles River Associates has a 12-month low of $132.17 and a 12-month high of $227.29.

Charles River Associates Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. This is a positive change from Charles River Associates’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 24th. Charles River Associates’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised Charles River Associates from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. One 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 an average target price of $245.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jonathan Yellin sold 2,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.25, for a total value of $389,812.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,932,257.25. The trade was a 16.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 4.50% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Charles River Associates

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 2026 earnings were $2.19 per share, ahead of estimates of about $2.06–$2.07 and up from $2.06 a year earlier. Revenue of $214.9 million also exceeded forecasts of roughly $199 million. Zacks Q3 earnings article
• Positive Sentiment: CRA raised FY 2026 revenue guidance to $830 million–$840 million, above the consensus estimate of $814.2 million, signaling stronger expected revenue than analysts had anticipated.
• Positive Sentiment: The company increased its quarterly dividend 17.5% to $0.67 per share ($2.68 annualized; approximately 1.3% yield). The dividend is payable December 11 to shareholders of record November 24. Dividend increase announcement

Charles River Associates Company Profile

Charles River Associates, operating as CRA International, Inc, is a global consulting firm that provides economic, financial, and management consulting services. The company advises corporations, law firms, government agencies, and other organizations on complex business, legal, regulatory, and strategic matters.

CRA’s services include economic and financial analysis for litigation and regulatory proceedings, antitrust and competition consulting, corporate strategy, business performance improvement, and investigations.