CSM Advisors LLC Takes Position in Charles River Associates $CRAI

CSM Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 26,263 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,923,000. CSM Advisors LLC owned about 0.40% of Charles River Associates at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Charles River Associates in the first quarter worth about $628,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Charles River Associates in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $360,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Charles River Associates in the 1st quarter worth approximately $329,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in Charles River Associates by 10.7% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 5,190 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $899,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in Charles River Associates by 1.6% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 12,706 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,201,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the period. 84.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charles River Associates

In other news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.43, for a total transaction of $328,002.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 17,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,246,849.89. The trade was a 9.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 4.70% of the company’s stock.

Charles River Associates Price Performance

Shares of Charles River Associates stock opened at $180.35 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a PE ratio of 21.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $192.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $187.74. Charles River Associates has a fifty-two week low of $152.57 and a fifty-two week high of $214.66.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The business services provider reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.26. Charles River Associates had a net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 25.51%. The business had revenue of $185.89 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $179.42 million. Charles River Associates has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Analysts expect that Charles River Associates will post 7.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Charles River Associates Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 25th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. This is an increase from Charles River Associates’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Charles River Associates’s dividend payout ratio is 27.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on CRAI. Barrington Research lifted their price target on shares of Charles River Associates from $235.00 to $239.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Charles River Associates from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Charles River Associates in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.00.

About Charles River Associates

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.