Should I Buy CRAI? CRAI 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy CRA International Inc (CRAI) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Hold

Latest Price

184.960

1 Day change

0.93%

52 Week Range

227.290

Analysis Updated At

2026/02/04

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Not a good buy right now: price is still below the key pivot (194.27) with bearish momentum despite being near support.
No Intellectia edge today (no AI Stock Picker / SwingMax signals), so there’s no strong timing catalyst to justify an immediate entry for an impatient buyer.
Heavy insider selling (+349.68% over the last month) is a meaningful near-term negative.
If already holding, the nearest line-in-the-sand is support around 175.24; a break below that increases downside risk toward ~163.49.

Technical Analysis

Trend/Momentum: MACD histogram is negative (-4.018) but contracting, suggesting the downtrend momentum is slowing (possible stabilization, not a reversal yet).
RSI: RSI(6) at 28.15 is near oversold territory, which can support a short-term bounce, but it’s not a confirmed trend change.
Moving averages: converging MAs indicate a transition phase; direction confirmation is still lacking.
Key levels: Current 179.42 is below Pivot 194.27 (bearish bias). Near-term support S1 175.24 then S2 163.49; resistance R1 213.30.
Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals:
- AI Stock Picker: No signal on given stock today.
- SwingMax: No signal on given stock recently.

Options Data

Bullish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bullish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Open interest put/call ratio at 0.53 implies positioning is more call-heavy than put-heavy (mildly bullish sentiment/hedging skew).
Volume is effectively zero today (put/call volume ratio 0.0 with 0 contracts), so current-day options flow provides no real confirmation.
Implied vol (30D) ~32.67 vs historical vol ~32.44: roughly in-line.
IV percentile 69.2 suggests options are relatively expensive vs its own recent history (market pricing in more movement than usual).

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

- Technical setup is near support (175 area) with near-oversold RSI, which can fuel a reflex bounce.
- Next earnings: QDEC 2025 results due 2026-03-02 (pre-market) with EPS estimate 2.05; a beat could reset sentiment.
- News: Appointment of a seasoned DOJ antitrust professional (VP in Antitrust & Competition Economics) supports credibility and potential demand tailwinds in that practice area.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

- Insider activity: Insiders are selling, and selling increased 349.68% over the last month (clear near-term sentiment overhang).
- Price remains below pivot/resistance (194–213 zone), meaning rallies may face supply.
- Options market: despite call-heavy open interest, there is no supportive real-time volume confirmation.
- Politicians / influential figures: No recent congress trading data available in the last 90 days (no visible policy-driven signal).

Financial Performance

Latest reported quarter: 2025/Q3.
Revenue: 185.891M, +10.82% YoY (solid top-line growth).
Net income: 11.453M, +0.36% YoY (profit growth lagging revenue).
EPS: 1.73, +3.59% YoY (modest growth).
Gross margin: 27.4%, down 7.43% YoY (margin compression is the main quality concern in the quarter).

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Analyst rating/price target trend: Not provided in the dataset, so changes cannot be confirmed.
Wall Street-style pros (based on available fundamentals/news): steady revenue growth, specialized advisory demand (antitrust/competition), upcoming earnings catalyst.
Wall Street-style cons (based on available trading/fundamental signals): margin compression, heavy insider selling, and a still-bearish technical posture below the pivot.

2 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast CRAI stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for CRAI is 245 USD with a low forecast of 245 USD and a high forecast of 245 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

1 Buy

1 Hold

0 Sell

Moderate Buy

Current: 183.250

Low

245

Averages

245

High

245

Current: 183.250

Low

245

Averages

245

High

245

Barrington

Outperform

maintain

$235 -> $239

AI Analysis

2025-11-03

Reason

Barrington

Price Target

$235 -> $239

AI Analysis

2025-11-03

maintain

Outperform

Reason

Barrington raised the firm's price target on Charles River Associates to $239 from $235 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. The company reported strong Q3 results and upped its 2025 outlook again, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm believes Charles River continues to execute its key capital allocation priority.

Barrington

Outperform

maintain

$228 -> $235

2025-08-06

Reason

Barrington

Price Target

$228 -> $235

2025-08-06

maintain

Outperform

Reason

Barrington raised the firm's price target on Charles River Associates to $235 from $228 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. The firm increased estimates following the "strong" Q4 report.

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CRAI Should I Buy

CRAI Should I Buy

Should You Buy CRA International Inc (CRAI) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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