Zacks Research Brokers Increase Earnings Estimates for CRAI

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research upped their FY2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of CRA International in a report released on Thursday, November 21st. Zacks Research analyst S. Dey now forecasts that the business services provider will post earnings of $7.06 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $6.80. The consensus estimate for CRA International’s current full-year earnings is $7.15 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for CRA International’s Q4 2024 earnings at $1.50 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $1.83 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.84 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.66 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.69 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $7.02 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.92 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.73 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.80 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $7.38 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on CRAI. StockNews.com lowered shares of CRA International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Barrington Research upped their price target on CRA International from $194.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th.

CRA International Stock Performance

CRAI opened at $194.25 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $1.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.43, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.13. CRA International has a twelve month low of $92.07 and a twelve month high of $208.38. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $185.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $174.86.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $167.75 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $166.83 million. CRA International had a return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 6.41%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.13 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRA International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Swedbank AB bought a new position in CRA International in the first quarter valued at about $26,924,000. Eagle Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in CRA International by 178.8% in the 3rd quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 148,221 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,986,000 after buying an additional 95,050 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in CRA International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $573,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in CRA International by 102.0% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,348 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $938,000 after acquiring an additional 2,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in CRA International by 34.9% in the 2nd quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,870 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,700,000 after acquiring an additional 2,551 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at CRA International

In other CRA International news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total transaction of $1,436,625.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 151,712 shares in the company, valued at $29,060,433.60. The trade was a 4.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

CRA International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. This is an increase from CRA International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio is 27.18%.

About CRA International

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.