Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI – Free Report) – Research analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for Charles River Associates in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, May 27th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $2.02 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.96. The consensus estimate for Charles River Associates’ current full-year earnings is $8.48 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Charles River Associates’ Q3 2026 earnings at $2.06 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.21 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $8.28 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.44 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $2.24 EPS.
Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Charles River Associates in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings cut Charles River Associates from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Charles River Associates presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $245.00.
Charles River Associates Stock Performance
CRAI stock opened at $148.35 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $154.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $175.62. The company has a market capitalization of $958.34 million, a P/E ratio of 20.60, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.75. Charles River Associates has a 52-week low of $132.17 and a 52-week high of $227.29.
Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The business services provider reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.02 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $200.98 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $193.81 million. Charles River Associates had a net margin of 6.22% and a return on equity of 26.02%.
Charles River Associates Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be paid 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 1.5%. Charles River Associates’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.67%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 2,250 shares of Charles River Associates 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 4.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charles River Associates
A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised 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 worth $17,052,000 after buying an additional 48,892 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Charles River Associates by 140.2% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 44,555 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,942,000 after buying an additional 26,003 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its stake in Charles River Associates by 72.3% during the third quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 32,642 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,807,000 after buying an additional 13,692 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in Charles River Associates by 47.4% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 9,187 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,487,000 after buying an additional 2,953 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP raised its stake in Charles River Associates by 2.6% during the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 7,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,600,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.
Charles River Associates News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Charles River Associates this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised earnings forecasts across several periods for CRAI, including Q2 2026, Q3 2026, Q4 2026, FY2026, FY2027, and FY2028, signaling improved profit expectations for the consulting firm.
- Positive Sentiment: The biggest near-term upgrade was for Q4 2026 EPS, which was increased to $2.21 from $2.17, while FY2026 estimates were also raised to $8.28 from $8.12.
- Positive Sentiment: Charles River Associates was also highlighted in a Yahoo Finance item titled “CRA International Inc (CRA) Reports Another Record Quarter,” suggesting continued operational strength and supporting investor confidence. CRA International Inc (CRA) Reports Another Record Quarter
- Neutral Sentiment: There was also a short-interest update showing essentially no reported short interest, which does not appear to be a meaningful trading driver on its own.
- Negative Sentiment: Not all revisions were positive: Zacks trimmed its Q1 2027 EPS estimate, which may temper enthusiasm about longer-term growth consistency.
- Negative Sentiment: Despite the upgrades, CRAI’s earnings outlook still trails the current consensus full-year estimate, indicating analysts remain somewhat below broader expectations.
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.
Featured Articles
- Five stocks we like better than Charles River Associates
- Meta’s Manus Mess: Why China Blocked the Deal and What It Means
- China Deal Ignites Boeing’s Financial Afterburners
- 3 Stocks Rallying on Micron’s Price Boost: Substance or Hype?
- Snowflake and the Snowballing Impact of its AI Flywheel
Receive News & Ratings for Charles River Associates Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Charles River Associates and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
