Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue increased by 10.8% year over year to $185.9 million, marking the best three revenue quarters in CRA's history [6] - Non-GAAP net income, earnings per diluted share, and EBITDA increased by 12.7%, 16.4%, and 14.6% respectively [7] - Non-GAAP EBITDA margin for the first three quarters of fiscal 2025 was 13.0% [15] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue from legal and regulatory services increased by 11.5%, driven by activity in the broader legal market [7] - The antitrust and competition economics practice achieved record quarterly revenue, supported by ongoing merger-related activity [8] - Management consulting services revenue increased by 8% year over year, led by the energy practice [11] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - North American operations revenue increased by 6.8%, while international operations expanded by 30.3% year over year [6] - Worldwide M&A activity totaled $3 trillion during the first nine months of 2025, an increase of 33% compared to the previous year [8] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is raising its revenue guidance for fiscal 2025, now expecting revenue in the range of $740 million to $748 million [15] - CRA continues to focus on cross-functional economic analysis, particularly in response to growing needs in transfer pricing and antitrust services [11] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed cautious optimism regarding future performance, noting the consistency of results and strong demand across various practices [46] - The company remains mindful of uncertain global macroeconomic conditions that could impact business [16] Other Important Information - The company concluded the quarter with $22.5 million in cash and $95.0 million in borrowings, resulting in net debt of $72.5 million [17] - A 16% increase in quarterly cash dividend from $0.49 to $0.57 per common share was announced, reflecting confidence in business quality [19] Q&A Session Summary Question: Headcount dynamics and sustainability - Management explained that headcount changes reflect evaluations of growth opportunities, with a focus on profitable practices [25][26] Question: Bill rates and revenue growth - Management confirmed that bill rates have increased low double digits, driven by rate card increases and consistent client demand [28][30] Question: International growth drivers - The competition practice in Europe has shown strong performance, with consistent enforcement driving growth compared to North America [34] Question: Legal and regulatory activity drivers - Management noted broad-based inflow activity across several practices, indicating strong demand for consulting support [42][44] Question: Regulatory scrutiny on antitrust and M&A - Management observed no significant contraction in project inflows despite changes in regulatory stance, indicating continued strong demand [56] Question: Life sciences practice outlook - The life sciences practice is showing signs of growth, but management remains cautious about declaring a significant upward trend [57] Question: Intellectual property practice sustainability - The intellectual property practice is collaborating with other practices, indicating strong demand for complex matters [60] Question: Hiring pipeline for Vice Presidents - Management expressed satisfaction with the influx of new Vice Presidents, highlighting the value proposition of CRA in attracting talent [62]

CRA International (CRAI) came out with quarterly earnings of $2.06 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.8 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.77 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +14.44%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this consulting firm would post earnings of $1.83 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.88, delivering a surprise of +2.73%.Over the last four quarters, th ...

Exhibit 99.2 For Q3 of fiscal 2025, revenue was $185.9 million, compared with revenue of $167.7 million for Q3 of fiscal 2024. Headcount The following table outlines CRA's consultant headcount at the end of the stated quarters: | | Q3 | Q2 | Q1 | Q4 | Q3 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2024 | 2024 | | Officers | 164 | 159 | 156 | 151 | 156 | | Other Senior Staff | 567 | 557 | 566 | 552 | 560 | | Junior Staff | 237 | 221 | 225 | 243 | 262 | | Total | 968 | 937 | 947 | 946 | 9 ...

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Charles River Associates (NASDAQ: CRAI), a worldwide leader in providing economic, financial and management consulting services, today announced financial results for the fiscal third quarter ended September 27, 2025. "CRA continued its run of strong results into the third quarter of fiscal 2025 as revenue increased by 10.8% year over year to $185.9 million,†said Paul Maleh, CRA's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our performance during the quarter was broad-base. ...

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Charles River Associates (NASDAQ: CRAI), a worldwide leader in providing economic, financial and management consulting services, today announced financial results for the fiscal third quarter ended September 27, 2025. "CRA continued its run of strong results into the third quarter of fiscal 2025 as revenue increased by 10.8% year over year to $185.9 million,†said Paul Maleh, CRA's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our performance during the quarter was broad-base. ...

Summary of CRA International Conference Call Company Overview - **Company Name**: CRA International, Inc. (Charles River Associates) - **Industry**: Consulting, focusing on economic, financial, and strategic expertise - **Market Position**: Leading global consulting firm serving law firms, corporations, accounting firms, and governments [1][2] Core Business Segments - **Revenue Composition**: - Legal and regulatory consulting: approximately 80% of total revenue - Traditional management consulting: approximately 20% of total revenue [3][4] - **Key Practices**: - Antitrust and competition economics: about 45% of total revenue - Life sciences and forensic services: together make up roughly 70% to 75% of total revenue [5] Financial Performance - **Stock Performance**: - Stock price has increased almost tenfold over the past 10 years, trading above $190 recently [3][9] - **Revenue Growth**: - Consistent revenue growth of around 8% over the past five years - Midpoint revenue guidance for 2025 indicates continued growth [10][11] - **Profitability**: - Adjusted EBITDA is a key profitability measure, with a focus on cash flow management [11][12] - **Shareholder Returns**: - Aims to return approximately 50% of adjusted cash flows to shareholders, primarily through stock repurchases [8][15] - Dividends have increased from $0.14 per share in 2016 to $0.49 per share in 2025 [15] Talent and Workforce - **Employee Retention**: - Less than 10% voluntary turnover among top revenue generators over the past five years [4] - **Talent Acquisition**: - Significant investment in talent acquisition and maintenance, with $185 million spent leading to a revenue increase of $230 million [13][14] Market Dynamics - **Regulatory Environment**: - Minimal direct impacts from regulatory uncertainties, with some contracts paused but not significantly affecting productivity [18] - **Competitive Landscape**: - No new major competitors identified; existing competitors remain the same with some changes in trade names and structures [23] Future Outlook - **Growth Expectations**: - Positive outlook for the second half of 2025, with expectations of continued strong performance [24] - **M&A Activity**: - Open to mergers and acquisitions that align with existing service lines and geographies, with a full pipeline of opportunities [25] Additional Insights - **Client Base**: - Worked with 85 of the Fortune 100 companies and 98 of the top 100 law firms in the past two years [6][7] - **Inorganic Growth**: - Future inorganic growth will focus on adding depth to existing practices rather than expanding the breadth of services [17] This summary encapsulates the key points discussed during the CRA International conference call, highlighting the company's performance, market position, and strategic outlook.

Core Viewpoint - CRA International (CRAI) has received an upgrade to a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy) due to an upward trend in earnings estimates, which is a significant factor influencing stock prices [1][2]. Earnings Estimates and Stock Price Impact - Changes in a company's future earnings potential, reflected in earnings estimate revisions, are strongly correlated with near-term stock price movements [3]. - Institutional investors utilize earnings estimates to calculate the fair value of a company's shares, leading to buying or selling actions that affect stock prices [3]. Business Improvement Indicators - The rising earnings estimates for CRA indicate an improvement in the company's underlying business, which is expected to positively influence its stock price [4]. Importance of Earnings Estimate Revisions - Tracking earnings estimate revisions can be beneficial for investment decisions, and the Zacks Rank system effectively utilizes this information [5]. - The Zacks Rank system classifies stocks based on earnings estimates and has a strong track record, with Zacks Rank 1 stocks averaging a +25% annual return since 1988 [6]. Specific Earnings Estimates for CRA - For the fiscal year ending December 2025, CRA is expected to earn $8.04 per share, unchanged from the previous year, with a 0.5% increase in the Zacks Consensus Estimate over the past three months [7]. Zacks Rating System Overview - The Zacks rating system maintains a balanced distribution of "buy" and "sell" ratings across its universe of over 4,000 stocks, with only the top 20% receiving higher ratings [8][9]. - The upgrade of CRA to a Zacks Rank 2 places it in the top 20% of Zacks-covered stocks, indicating a strong potential for near-term price movement [9].

Summary of CRA International Conference Call - September 17, 2025 Company Overview - CRA International (NasdaqGS: CRAI) is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025, founded in 1965 by professors from Harvard and MIT to provide academic quality research to the business world [1][2] - The company operates primarily in two segments: legal and regulatory (approximately 80% of revenue) and management consulting (approximately 20% of revenue) [2][5] - CRA has over 20 offices in 10 countries, with 80% of revenue coming from North America and 20% from international markets [3] Financial Performance - CRA has experienced consistent revenue growth of approximately 8% to 10% annually over the last 15 years [6] - Profitability has grown at an even faster rate, with no debt and operations fully financed through internal cash flow [7] - The company has returned nearly $200 million to shareholders over the past five years, reducing share count by 13% [13][14] - The average price of share repurchases over the last five years was $88, with current trading over $200, indicating strong intrinsic value [8] Shareholder Returns - CRA initiated a dividend in 2016, which has since tripled to $0.49 per share, contributing to an attractive shareholder yield of approximately 6% [15][16] - The company aims to maximize long-term value per share and has a history of effective capital redistribution [8][12] Market Position and Strategy - CRA has worked with 85 of the Fortune 100 companies and 98 of the top 100 law firms in the past two years, indicating strong client retention and repeat business [5][6] - The firm focuses on high-value services and has not expanded into subscription-based revenue models, believing that quality service provides resilience against economic shocks [21][22] - CRA differentiates itself from larger global firms and specialized boutiques by maintaining a focus on its core competencies at the intersection of economics and regulation [27][29] Industry Dynamics - The regulatory environment remains complex, creating opportunities for CRA to assist clients in navigating these challenges [19] - The company anticipates a potential increase in M&A activity as capital becomes cheaper, although there are other complicating factors in executing large deals [30][31] Key Challenges and Opportunities - CRA is adapting to changing client needs and expanding service depth while maintaining its core focus [19][21] - The firm has not experienced direct impacts from regulatory inquiries but is aware of potential budget reductions from regulatory bodies [24] - Pricing power remains strong, with annual price increases of 2% to 4% without significant pushback from clients [25][26] Conclusion - CRA International is well-positioned for continued growth, with a strong focus on quality service, effective capital management, and a commitment to shareholder returns, despite the complexities of the current regulatory and economic environment [17][31]

Core Insights - Cra International (CRAI) reported record GAAP revenue of $186.9 million and non-GAAP EPS of $1.88 for Q2 FY2025, exceeding Wall Street expectations [1][2] - Net income (GAAP) increased by 85.4% year over year to $12.1 million, driven by strong demand across key practices [1][2] Financial Performance - GAAP revenue rose 9.0% from Q2 FY2024, with significant contributions from various service lines, particularly Antitrust & Competition Economics and Energy practices [5][6] - Non-GAAP EBITDA was $23.3 million, reflecting a 4.5% increase from the previous year [2] - Operating margin (GAAP) improved to 10.6%, up from 6.6% in Q2 FY2024, while non-GAAP EBITDA margin narrowed by 0.6 percentage points to 12.4% [7] Business Overview - Cra International specializes in consulting services related to economics, finance, and management, focusing on complex legal and regulatory matters [3] - The firm has a strong repeat client base and a highly educated team, with about 75% of senior consultants holding advanced degrees [4] Growth Drivers - The company is targeting long-term growth through diversified service offerings and a broad international reach, which helps mitigate risks from market fluctuations [4] - Strong client demand was evident across multiple practices, with notable growth in Antitrust, Energy, Intellectual Property, and Labor & Employment consulting [5][6] Shareholder Returns - The company returned $46.6 million to shareholders, including $43.2 million in share repurchases and $3.4 million in dividends, announcing a new quarterly dividend of $0.49 per share [8] Future Outlook - Management raised FY2025 revenue guidance to $730 million to $745 million, reflecting strong first-half performance [9] - Key issues to monitor include headcount trends, as consultant numbers declined by 3.2% year over year, despite high utilization rates [10]

Group 1: CRA International, Inc. (CRAI) Q2 2025 Results - CRAI reported adjusted EPS of $1.88, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.7% and reflecting a year-over-year increase of 2.7% [1][9] - Revenues reached $186.9 million, surpassing the consensus mark by 4% and showing a 9% increase from the previous year [1][9] - The company achieved a utilization rate of 76%, despite a 3.2% decrease in headcount year-over-year [2] Group 2: Financial Metrics - Non-GAAP EBITDA rose 4.4% year-over-year to $23.3 million, with the non-GAAP EBITDA margin improving by 60 basis points to 12.4% [2][9] - CRAI ended Q2 with cash and cash equivalents of $19.5 million, down from $26.7 million at the end of Q4 2024, while generating $74 million from operating activities [3] Group 3: 2025 Outlook - CRAI raised its 2025 constant-currency revenue guidance to a range of $730 million to $745 million, compared to the previous range of $715 million to $735 million [4] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 revenue is $723.2 million, with an expected non-GAAP EBITDA margin of 12.3% to 13% [4]