Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Shares Cross Above 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Shares of Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $188.57 and traded as high as $209.88. Charles River Associates shares last traded at $208.59, with a volume of 127,399 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $239.00 price objective on shares of Charles River Associates in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Charles River Associates in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Charles River Associates from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Charles River Associates has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.00.

Charles River Associates Trading Up 0.1%

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $185.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $188.70. The company has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.93.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.26. Charles River Associates had a return on equity of 26.33% and a net margin of 7.74%.The business had revenue of $185.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $179.42 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Charles River Associates will post 7.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Charles River Associates Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th were paid a $0.57 dividend. This is a boost from Charles River Associates’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 25th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Charles River Associates’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.40%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,750 shares of Charles River Associates stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.38, for a total transaction of $305,165.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,573 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,715,619.74. This trade represents a 10.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 4.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Charles River Associates

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CRAI. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Charles River Associates by 10.7% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 5,190 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $899,000 after buying an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Charles River Associates during the first quarter worth $360,000. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in Charles River Associates in the 1st quarter valued at $628,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new position in Charles River Associates in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Charles River Associates in the 1st quarter worth $329,000. 84.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.