Zacks Research Has Bearish Forecast for CRAI Q1 Earnings

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) – Analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for Charles River Associates in a note issued to investors on Thursday, March 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $2.00 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast 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.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on CRAI. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Charles River Associates from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 6th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Charles River Associates in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Charles River Associates in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Charles River Associates currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $245.00.

Charles River Associates Stock Up 4.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:CRAI opened at $161.05 on Friday. Charles River Associates has a fifty-two week low of $149.96 and a fifty-two week high of $227.29. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $180.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $188.83. The company has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.81, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.92.

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $190.54 million.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Charles River Associates by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,180 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $839,000 after acquiring an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Charles River Associates by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 6,489 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,302,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in Charles River Associates in the 4th quarter valued at $401,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Charles River Associates by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 4,388 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $881,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Charles River Associates by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 7,495 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,504,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Charles River Associates

In other news, EVP Jonathan D. Yellin sold 2,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.27, for a total transaction of $410,107.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,046 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,560,164.42. The trade was a 13.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 4.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Charles River Associates Announces Dividend

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

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.