Short Interest in Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Expands By 37.9%

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 197,516 shares, an increase of 37.9% from the December 15th total of 143,208 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 106,953 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days. Approximately 3.2% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 3.2% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 106,953 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charles River Associates

In related news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,573 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,715,619.74. This represents a 10.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 4.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of CRAI. Jump Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $6,807,000 after buying an additional 13,692 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Charles River Associates by 63.9% in the 3rd quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 6,410 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,337,000 after purchasing an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Charles River Associates by 61.2% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 18,552 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,869,000 after buying an additional 7,041 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its holdings in shares of Charles River Associates by 2.6% in 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 period. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its position in Charles River Associates by 154.3% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 5,995 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,250,000 after purchasing an additional 3,638 shares in the last quarter. 84.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Charles River Associates in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Charles River Associates from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Finally, Barrington Research upped their price target on Charles River Associates from $239.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Charles River Associates has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $245.00.

Charles River Associates Stock Performance

CRAI opened at $210.74 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.33, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.90. Charles River Associates has a 1-year low of $152.57 and a 1-year high of $227.29. The company has a 50-day moving average of $196.16 and a 200-day moving average of $192.28.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The business services provider reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $185.89 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $179.42 million. Charles River Associates had a return on equity of 26.33% and a net margin of 7.74%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Charles River Associates will post 7.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Charles River Associates Increases Dividend

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

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.