Latest news with #CRAI
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Now An Opportune Moment To Examine CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI)?
CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI), might not be a large cap stock, but it saw a decent share price growth of 18% on the NASDAQGS over the last few months. The recent rally in share prices has nudged the company in the right direction, though it still falls short of its yearly peak. Less-covered, small caps sees more of an opportunity for mispricing due to the lack of information available to the public, which can be a good thing. So, could the stock still be trading at a low price relative to its actual value? Let's examine CRA International's valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there's still a bargain opportunity. AI is about to change healthcare. These 20 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part - they are all under $10bn in marketcap - there is still time to get in early. Good news, investors! CRA International is still a bargain right now. According to our valuation, the intrinsic value for the stock is $250.64, which is above what the market is valuing the company at the moment. This indicates a potential opportunity to buy low. Another thing to keep in mind is that CRA International's share price may be quite stable relative to the rest of the market, as indicated by its low beta. This means that if you believe the current share price should move towards its intrinsic value over time, a low beta could suggest it is not likely to reach that level anytime soon, and once it's there, it may be hard to fall back down into an attractive buying range again. Check out our latest analysis for CRA International Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so let's also take a look at the company's future expectations. With profit expected to grow by a double-digit 13% in the upcoming year, the short-term outlook is positive for CRA International. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation. Are you a shareholder? Since CRAI is currently undervalued, it may be a great time to increase your holdings in the stock. With an optimistic outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. However, there are also other factors such as capital structure to consider, which could explain the current undervaluation. Are you a potential investor? If you've been keeping an eye on CRAI for a while, now might be the time to enter the stock. Its prosperous future outlook isn't fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it's not too late to buy CRAI. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the track record of its management team, in order to make a well-informed investment decision. If you'd like to know more about CRA International as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. You'd be interested to know, that we found 1 warning sign for CRA International and you'll want to know about it. If you are no longer interested in CRA International, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Now An Opportune Moment To Examine CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI)?
CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAI), might not be a large cap stock, but it saw a decent share price growth of 18% on the NASDAQGS over the last few months. The recent rally in share prices has nudged the company in the right direction, though it still falls short of its yearly peak. Less-covered, small caps sees more of an opportunity for mispricing due to the lack of information available to the public, which can be a good thing. So, could the stock still be trading at a low price relative to its actual value? Let's examine CRA International's valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there's still a bargain opportunity. AI is about to change healthcare. These 20 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part - they are all under $10bn in marketcap - there is still time to get in early. Good news, investors! CRA International is still a bargain right now. According to our valuation, the intrinsic value for the stock is $250.64, which is above what the market is valuing the company at the moment. This indicates a potential opportunity to buy low. Another thing to keep in mind is that CRA International's share price may be quite stable relative to the rest of the market, as indicated by its low beta. This means that if you believe the current share price should move towards its intrinsic value over time, a low beta could suggest it is not likely to reach that level anytime soon, and once it's there, it may be hard to fall back down into an attractive buying range again. Check out our latest analysis for CRA International Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so let's also take a look at the company's future expectations. With profit expected to grow by a double-digit 13% in the upcoming year, the short-term outlook is positive for CRA International. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation. Are you a shareholder? Since CRAI is currently undervalued, it may be a great time to increase your holdings in the stock. With an optimistic outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. However, there are also other factors such as capital structure to consider, which could explain the current undervaluation. Are you a potential investor? If you've been keeping an eye on CRAI for a while, now might be the time to enter the stock. Its prosperous future outlook isn't fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it's not too late to buy CRAI. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the track record of its management team, in order to make a well-informed investment decision. If you'd like to know more about CRA International as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. You'd be interested to know, that we found 1 warning sign for CRA International and you'll want to know about it. If you are no longer interested in CRA International, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CRAI Q1 Earnings Call: Broad-Based Growth, Robust Antitrust Demand, and Steady Guidance
Economic consulting firm CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) reported Q1 CY2025 results beating Wall Street's revenue expectations , with sales up 5.9% year on year to $181.9 million. The company's full-year revenue guidance of $725 million at the midpoint came in 0.9% above analysts' estimates. Its non-GAAP profit of $2.22 per share was 13.8% above analysts' consensus estimates. Is now the time to buy CRAI? Find out in our full research report (it's free). Revenue: $181.9 million vs analyst estimates of $176.6 million (5.9% year-on-year growth, 3% beat) Adjusted EPS: $2.22 vs analyst estimates of $1.95 (13.8% beat) Adjusted EBITDA: $24.79 million vs analyst estimates of $22.1 million (13.6% margin, 12.2% beat) The company reconfirmed its revenue guidance for the full year of $725 million at the midpoint Operating Margin: 14%, up from 11.4% in the same quarter last year Free Cash Flow was -$80.97 million compared to -$63.81 million in the same quarter last year Market Capitalization: $1.27 billion CRA International's first quarter results were shaped by broad-based contributions across key practices and geographies. Management attributed revenue growth to double-digit expansion in its Energy, Finance, Intellectual Property, and Life Sciences practices, with the Antitrust & Competition Economics group achieving a new revenue high. CEO Paul Maleh highlighted the acceleration of project lead flow through the quarter, noting that consulting utilization improved and that performance was supported by international operations, which saw nearly 20% year-on-year growth. Looking ahead, management reaffirmed its full-year revenue guidance, citing continued momentum in new business origination and a replenished sales pipeline. Maleh cautioned that while March's positive trends continued into April, it remains too early to assume these trends will persist throughout the year, given ongoing macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty. He added that CRA remains focused on optimizing its service portfolio and aligning headcount growth with revenue opportunities. CRA International's management pointed to multiple factors driving Q1 performance, emphasizing practice diversification, geographic expansion, and a steady demand environment. The company's results exceeded analysts' expectations, aided by improved consulting utilization and project origination. Antitrust practice momentum: The Antitrust & Competition Economics group reached record quarterly revenue, fueled by ongoing demand for merger-related and antitrust advisory work, including high-profile projects such as supporting Microsoft in regulatory matters. International growth contributions: International operations delivered nearly 20% year-on-year revenue growth, with management citing a balanced portfolio across North America and global markets as key to consistent performance. Collaborative client delivery: Management highlighted increased collaboration across practices and geographies, enabling the firm to address complex, multi-jurisdictional projects involving litigation, M&A, and regulatory compliance. Life Sciences and Energy strength: The Life Sciences practice extended its turnaround, posting another strong quarter across opportunity assessment and launch planning, while Energy consulting saw double-digit revenue gains through projects in strategy, risk, and transaction support. Service portfolio optimization: The company completed targeted restructuring affecting 15 roles, intended to align resources with areas of higher growth potential. Management emphasized ongoing investment in talent acquisition and retention to support future expansion. Management's outlook for the remainder of the year centers on sustained demand for legal, regulatory, and management consulting services, tempered by an awareness of economic and geopolitical uncertainties that could affect client activity. Sales pipeline health: Continued growth in project lead flow and new project originations underpins management's confidence in meeting guidance, though they acknowledge that business inflow can be sensitive to shifts in client sentiment. Practice diversification: The company's broad mix of practices—spanning antitrust, finance, energy, and life sciences—positions it to capture growth across multiple sectors, reducing reliance on any single client or industry vertical. Headcount and talent alignment: Ongoing investments in hiring and talent retention are expected to keep consultant headcount roughly in line with revenue growth, supporting utilization rates and client delivery capabilities. Andrew Nicholas (William Blair): Asked how recent April trends influence confidence in guidance; CEO Maleh said March's momentum continued but noted it is too early to assume these trends will persist. Andrew Nicholas (William Blair): Queried about the Life Sciences pipeline; Maleh stated the practice is seeing broad success geographically and across service areas, hoping for continued momentum. Andrew Nicholas (William Blair): Sought clarification on headcount plans and retention; Maleh explained that headcount remains flat sequentially, with ongoing investments in both new hires and retaining talent. Marc Riddick (Sidoti & Company): Asked if recent business acceleration was tied to external events; Maleh said no single driver was identifiable, attributing growth to a diversified portfolio. Kevin Steinke (Barrington Research): Inquired about restructuring; Maleh clarified the move was a targeted optimization, not a reflection of overall practice health. In the coming quarters, the StockStory team will be monitoring (1) whether growth in project origination and sales pipeline leads to consistent revenue expansion, (2) if utilization rates remain elevated as consultant headcount adjusts to business needs, and (3) further momentum within high-performing practices such as Antitrust & Competition Economics, Energy, and Life Sciences. Talent acquisition and retention efforts, as well as the firm's ability to adapt to external market conditions, will remain important areas of focus. CRA currently trades at a forward P/E ratio of 23.3×. At this valuation, is it a buy or sell post earnings? Find out in our free research report. Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election sent major indices to all-time highs, but stocks have retraced as investors debate the health of the economy and the potential impact of tariffs. While this leaves much uncertainty around 2025, a few companies are poised for long-term gains regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate, like our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 176% over the last five years. Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Wire
13-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Charles River Associates (CRA) Strengthens Its Financial Economics Practice
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Charles River Associates (NASDAQ: CRAI), a worldwide leader in providing economic, financial, and management consulting services, today announced that Viktor Tsyrennikov has joined CRA's Financial Economics Practice as a Vice President. 'I am pleased to welcome Viktor to the CRA team,' said CRA President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Maleh. 'He is an accomplished PhD economist and trusted advisor to financial institutions, with extensive experience in solving complex risk management and addressing regulatory challenges.' 'Viktor has a proven track record in developing next-generation business-decision and risk-management systems, based on advanced statistics and AI, leveraging his deep expertise in financial markets, regulation, and analytics. With years of experience spanning industry, policy, and academia, he offers a unique perspective that combines high-level strategic thinking with hands-on management expertise,' said Marsha Courchane, CRA Vice President and leader of the Financial Economics Practice. Prior to joining CRA, Dr. Tsyrennikov was the head of quantitative services and analytics at a global consulting firm where he advised financial institutions with a focus on quantitative risk management and analytics. While there, he led a multidisciplinary team advising large banks regarding the Basel III reforms, stress testing, model risk, and the development of AI use cases in finance. Dr. Tsyrennikov was previously a resident scholar at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where he advised the IMF's chief economist on the regulation of international capital flows, international debt restructuring, and macroeconomic response to oil shocks. Prior to that, he was an assistant professor of economics at Cornell University. Dr. Tsyrennikov has a PhD in Economics from New York University, an MA in Economics from the Kyiv School of Economics, and an MA in Information Systems Management from the National University of Lviv. About CRA's Financial Economics Practice With years of experience as academics, bankers and consultants, members of CRA's Financial Economics Practice have been retained as consulting and testifying experts by financial institutions and law firms in a wide variety of regulatory and litigation matters related to consumer lending, including fair lending compliance, credit risk, credit scoring, mortgage and home equity lending, automobile lending, credit card lending, and unsecured personal lending, among others. In particular, members of our Financial Economics team have experience developing and validating risk models and testing them for potential fair lending disparate impact risk. CRA has advised and provided fair lending assessments of custom credit scoring and fintech lenders and has assisted lenders in responding to regulator concerns regarding the potential disparate impact risk of credit scoring systems. About Charles River Associates (CRA) Charles River Associates ® is a leading global consulting firm specializing in economic, financial, and management consulting services. CRA advises clients on economic and financial matters pertaining to litigation and regulatory proceedings, and guides corporations through critical business strategy and performance-related issues. Since 1965, clients have engaged CRA for its unique combination of functional expertise and industry knowledge, and for its objective solutions to complex problems. Headquartered in Boston, CRA has offices throughout the world. Detailed information about Charles River Associates, a registered trade name of CRA International, Inc., is available at Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT Statements in this press release concerning the addition of Viktor Tsyrennikov and the strengthening of CRA's Financial Economics Practice, and any future business Dr. Tsyrennikov may generate for CRA, are 'forward-looking' statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon management's current expectations and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties. Information contained in these forward-looking statements is inherently uncertain, and actual performance and results may differ materially due to many important factors. Such factors that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements made by CRA include, among others: the failure to generate engagements for us; the potential loss of clients; the demand environment; global economic conditions; foreign exchange rate fluctuations; and intense competition. Additional potential factors that could affect our financial results are included in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those under the heading 'Risk Factors.' We cannot guarantee any future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievement. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements after the date of this press release, and we do not intend to do so.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
1 Small-Cap Stock on Our Watchlist and 2 to Think Twice About
Investors looking for hidden gems should keep an eye on small-cap stocks because they're frequently overlooked by Wall Street. Many opportunities exist in this part of the market, but it is also a high-risk, high-reward environment due to the lack of reliable analyst price targets. The downside that can come from buying these securities is precisely why we started StockStory - to isolate the long-term winners from the losers so you can invest with confidence. That said, here is one small-cap stock that could amplify your portfolio's returns and two that could be down big. Market Cap: $979.3 million Established in Illinois, Accel Entertainment (NYSE:ACEL) is a provider of electronic gaming machines and interactive amusement terminals to bars and entertainment venues. Why Does ACEL Fall Short? Demand for its offerings was relatively low as its number of video gaming terminals sold has underwhelmed Estimated sales growth of 5.7% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its two-year trend Low free cash flow margin of 4.4% for the last two years gives it little breathing room, constraining its ability to self-fund growth or return capital to shareholders Accel Entertainment is trading at $11.57 per share, or 12.5x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with ACEL, check out our full research report (it's free). Market Cap: $1.21 billion Often retained for high-stakes matters with multibillion-dollar implications, CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) provides economic, financial, and management consulting services to corporations, law firms, and government agencies for litigation, regulatory proceedings, and business strategy. Why Does CRAI Worry Us? Revenue base of $697.5 million puts it at a disadvantage compared to larger competitors exhibiting economies of scale Free cash flow margin dropped by 11 percentage points over the last five years, implying the company became more capital intensive as competition picked up At $178.10 per share, CRA trades at 22.2x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including CRAI in your portfolio, it's free. Market Cap: $715.6 million Serving the pharmaceutical, industrial manufacturing, energy, and chemical process industries, Transcat (NASDAQ:TRNS) provides measurement instruments and supplies. Why Is TRNS on Our Radar? 10.1% annual revenue growth over the last two years surpassed the sector average as its offerings resonated with customers Forecasted revenue growth of 10.6% for the next 12 months indicates its momentum over the last two years is sustainable Earnings per share have massively outperformed its peers over the last five years, increasing by 17.1% annually Transcat's stock price of $78.37 implies a valuation ratio of 30x forward P/E. Is now the time to initiate a position? Find out in our full research report, it's free. The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump's presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025. While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we're homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver's seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 175% over the last five years. Stocks that made our list in 2019 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+2,183% between December 2019 and December 2024) as well as under-the-radar businesses like Sterling Infrastructure (+1,096% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
