Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Shares Pass Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI)’s stock price passed 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 changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Charles River Associates Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $184.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $188.57. The company has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.93.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The business services provider reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.26. Charles River Associates had a net margin of 7.74% and a return on equity of 26.33%. The business had revenue of $185.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $179.42 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Charles River Associates will post 7.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Charles River Associates Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 1,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.38, for a total transaction of $305,165.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,573 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,715,619.74. The trade was a 10.10% 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. Corporate insiders own 4.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charles River Associates

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $899,000 after buying an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in Charles River Associates in the first quarter valued at about $360,000. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in Charles River Associates in the first quarter worth about $628,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new position in Charles River Associates during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new position in Charles River Associates during the first quarter worth about $329,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

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.