5 Reasons Why You Should Invest in Charles River (CRAI) Stock

A prudent investment decision involves buying well-performing stocks at the right time while selling the ones at risk. A rise in share price and strong fundamentals signal a stock’s bullish run.

Charles River Associates CRAI is a consulting service provider that has performed exceptionally well lately and has the potential to sustain its momentum in the near term. Consequently, if you haven’t taken advantage of the share price appreciation yet, it’s time you add the stock to your portfolio.

What Makes Charles River an Attractive Pick?

An Outperformer: A glimpse at the company’s price trend reveals that the stock has had an impressive run on the bourse over the past year. Shares of Charles River have returned 87.3%, outperforming the 61.8% growth of the industry it belongs to in the said time frame.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Solid Rank & VGM Score: Charles River currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and has a VGM Score of A. Our research shows that stocks with a VGM Score of A or B, when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2, offer the best investment opportunities. Thus, the company seems to be an appropriate investment proposition at the moment. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Northward Estimate Revisions: The direction of estimate revisions serves as an important pointer when it comes to the price of a stock. Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Charles River’s first-quarter 2022 earnings has climbed 1.9% to $1.05 per share. Estimates for 2022 have moved up 7.6%.

Positive Earnings Surprise History: Charles River has an impressive earnings surprise history. The company delivered an earnings surprise of 50.9% in the last four quarters, on average.

Growth Factors: Charles River has a widely diversified business with service offerings across areas of functional expertise, client base and geographical regions. The company’s solid global network provides it the opportunity to work with the world's leading professionals on multiple issues. Its professional team has helped it achieve and maintain a solid reputation of providing high-quality consulting services. Consistency in rewarding shareholders through dividend payments and share repurchases boosts investor confidence on the stock and positively impacts the company’s earnings per share.

Other Stocks to Consider

Some other top-ranked stocks in the broader Business Services sector are Avis Budget CAR and Cross Country Healthcare (CCRN) and Gartner (IT), each carrying a Zacks Rank #1.

Avis Budget has an expected earnings growth rate of 420.6% for the current year. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 76.9%, on average.

Avis Budget’s shares have surged 744.3% in the past year. The company has a long-term earnings growth of 18.8%.

Cross Country Healthcare has an expected earnings growth rate of 447.8% for the current year. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 75%, on average.

Cross Country Healthcare’s shares have surged 201% in the past year. The company has a long-term earnings growth of 21.5%.

Gartner has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 59%, on average.

Gartner’s shares have surged 119.3% in the past year. The company has a long-term earnings growth of 15.5%.

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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.