Zacks Research Has Strong Forecast for CRAI FY2024 Earnings

CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI) – Analysts at Zacks Research upped their FY2024 earnings estimates for CRA International in a report released on Thursday, November 21st. Zacks Research analyst S. Dey now anticipates that the business services provider will post earnings of $7.06 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $6.80. The consensus estimate for CRA International’s current full-year earnings is $7.08 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.

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

CRA International Price Performance

Shares of CRA International stock opened at $193.84 on Monday. CRA International has a 1 year low of $92.07 and a 1 year high of $208.38. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $184.88 and its 200 day moving average is $174.65. The stock has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.37, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.13.

CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.19. CRA International had a net margin of 6.41% and a return on equity of 24.46%. The business had revenue of $167.75 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $166.83 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Paul A. Maleh sold 7,500 shares of CRA International stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,060,433.60. The trade was a 4.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

CRA International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a $0.49 dividend. This is an increase from CRA International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. CRA International’s payout ratio is currently 31.72%.

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.