Zacks Research Expects Higher Earnings for CRA International

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for CRA International in a research report issued on Thursday, March 13th. Zacks Research analyst S. Dey now anticipates that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $1.87 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.83. The consensus estimate for CRA International’s current full-year earnings is $7.52 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for CRA International’s Q3 2025 earnings at $1.70 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $7.41 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.00 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.80 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $8.74 EPS.

Separately, Barrington Research lifted their price objective on CRA International from $212.00 to $224.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

CRA International Price Performance

CRAI opened at $174.67 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a 50-day moving average of $187.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $185.04. CRA International has a 12 month low of $133.54 and a 12 month high of $214.01.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The business services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $176.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $166.29 million. CRA International had a return on equity of 25.95% and a net margin of 6.79%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of CRAI. Eagle Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in CRA International by 178.8% during the third 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 in the last quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in CRA International during the fourth quarter valued at about $9,389,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its stake in CRA International by 41.9% during the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 78,136 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $13,699,000 after buying an additional 23,078 shares in the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC boosted its stake in CRA International by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 29,115 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,450,000 after buying an additional 10,455 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Global Investments bought a new position in CRA International during the fourth quarter valued at about $656,000. 84.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other CRA International news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.37, for a total value of $398,740.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 153,806 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,664,302.22. This trade represents a 1.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Thomas Aiken Avery sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.05, for a total value of $199,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,669 shares in the company, valued at $2,919,864.45. This represents a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 20,850 shares of company stock worth $3,902,083. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

CRA International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 4th. CRA International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.08%.

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.