Zacks Research Has Negative Outlook for CRAI Q1 Earnings

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for Charles River Associates in a note issued to investors on Thursday, March 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the business services provider will post earnings of $2.00 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $2.20. The consensus estimate for Charles River Associates’ current full-year earnings is $7.52 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Charles River Associates’ Q2 2026 earnings at $1.96 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.99 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.17 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $8.12 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.63 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.24 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.91 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.17 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $8.95 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $9.37 EPS.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by $0.01. Charles River Associates had a net margin of 7.29% and a return on equity of 26.15%. The company had revenue of $196.96 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $190.54 million.

CRAI has been the subject of several other reports. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Charles River Associates in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Charles River Associates in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Charles River Associates from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $245.00.

Charles River Associates Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CRAI opened at $161.05 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of 19.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.92. Charles River Associates has a 12 month low of $149.96 and a 12 month high of $227.29. The business has a 50-day moving average of $180.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $188.83.

Charles River Associates Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. Charles River Associates’s dividend payout ratio is 28.04%.

Insider Transactions at Charles River Associates

In other Charles River Associates news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 2,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.27, for a total transaction of $410,107.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 14,046 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,560,164.42. This trade represents a 13.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 4.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Charles River Associates

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new stake in shares of Charles River Associates during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Charles River Associates by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 171,401 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,120,000 after buying an additional 3,138 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in Charles River Associates by 2.7% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 13,049 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,445,000 after buying an additional 343 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its stake in Charles River Associates by 259.5% in the second quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 7,482 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,402,000 after buying an additional 5,401 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Charles River Associates by 9.3% during the second quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 3,910 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $733,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

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.