CRA International (CRAI) Conference June 11, 2025 10:45 AM ET Speaker0 Hey. Good morning, everyone. It's now 10:45 here on the East Coast, and we're ready to begin with our next presentation. My name is Mark Riddick. I'm a senior analyst with Sidoti and Company, and I thank you for joining us at the Sidoti June Small Cap Virtual Conference. Now our next presenting company is Charles River Associates, the ticker is CRAI. And joining us today is Paul Malley, June and CEO, and Chad Holmes, chief corporate deve ...

More companies expanding choice, tackling high cost and reallocating benefit spendNEW YORK, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As U.S. employers grapple with heightened economic uncertainty and greater financial pressures on budgets, steering the right course on benefit strategy is more challenging than ever. This is according to a survey by WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company. As a result, companies are turning to smarter spending, sharper focus and using benefits as ...

Core Insights - Protiviti has been recognized as one of the Fortune Best Workplaces in the Bay Area for 2025, marking the seventh time the company has achieved this honor [1][2] - The recognition is based on nearly 85,000 confidential employee survey responses, highlighting the company's commitment to a high-performance, inclusive corporate culture [2][3] - Protiviti has also been named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list for the 11th consecutive year, along with other accolades such as Glassdoor Best Places to Work and Forbes America's Best Management Consulting Firms [3][5] Company Overview - Protiviti is a global consulting firm providing expertise in finance, technology, operations, data, digital, legal, HR, risk, and internal audit, with over 90 offices in more than 25 countries [4] - The firm serves over 80% of Fortune 100 and nearly 80% of Fortune 500 companies, as well as government agencies and smaller companies [5] - Protiviti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half, which is listed on the NYSE under the ticker RHI [5]

Group 1 - Jennifer Kupcho won the ShopRite LPGA Classic with rounds of 68-64-66, marking her fourth LPGA Tour victory and ranking her 45th in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings [1][3] - Protiviti will contribute 25,000 meals globally through its "Birdies for Meals" campaign to commemorate Kupcho's victory [2] - Kupcho's win was achieved under challenging conditions, including light rain, and she birdied three of the last five holes to secure the victory [3] Group 2 - Kupcho has notable previous wins including the 2022 Chevron Championship, 2022 Meijer LPGA Classic, and 2022 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, and has been a Protiviti brand ambassador since 2020 [4] - Joseph Tarantino, president and CEO of Protiviti, expressed excitement over Kupcho's victory, highlighting the shared commitment to success between Kupcho and the firm [5] - Protiviti is a global consulting firm with over 90 offices in more than 25 countries, serving a wide range of clients including over 80% of Fortune 100 and nearly 80% of Fortune 500 companies [6][7]

随着特朗普的关税政策让企业陷入冻结式观望模式，历经2023和2024年两次虚惊的美国经济，这次可 能真的要面对考验。 6月7日，有"新美联储通讯社"之称的华尔街日报记者Nick Timiraos发表文章称， 尽管美国经济在2023 年和2024年成功避开了多次衰退警报，但目前正步入另一个令人不安的夏季。 虽然5月份美国新增13.9 万就业岗位，失业率在过去一年中一直保持在4%至4.2%的稳定区间，但经济表面之下已出现裂痕。 最令人担忧的是，企业纷纷警告，不断变化的贸易政策正干扰其未来规划能力，导致招聘和投资冻结。 这种政策不确定性发生在就业增长放缓、房地产市场降温的背景下。与去年相比，美联储也因担忧新的 通胀风险而更加不愿降息。 文章指出，劳动力市场脆弱平衡、消费者支出变化和金融市场冲击——这个三大因素可能会以令人猝不 及防的方式出现断裂。 正如洛杉矶Beacon Economics创始合伙人Christopher Thornberg所说："这一切的走向完全取决于特朗 普接下来会做什么，坦白说，就连特朗普自己也不知道他下一步会做什么。所以几乎不可能预测局势的 发展方向。" 华尔街见闻此前提及，安联首席经济顾问 ...

Core Insights - IBM has outperformed the industry with a 16% stock price increase over the past six months, compared to the industry's growth of 1.8% and Microsoft and Amazon's performance of 5% and -8.4% respectively [1][7]. Group 1: Growth Drivers - The demand for hybrid cloud and AI solutions is driving growth in IBM's Software and Consulting segments, with long-term support expected from analytics, cloud computing, and security [4]. - The rise in traditional cloud-native workloads and generative AI deployment has led to increased demand for IBM's hybrid cloud solutions, aided by the acquisition of HashiCorp, which enhances IBM's capabilities in managing complex cloud environments [5]. - IBM's watsonx platform is central to its AI capabilities, providing enterprise-ready solutions that include tools for generative AI and machine learning, as well as governance for responsible AI workflows [6][8]. Group 2: Financial Performance and Estimates - IBM is experiencing an upward trend in earnings estimate revisions, with 2025 estimates rising by 1.5% to $10.95 and 2026 estimates increasing by 0.4% to $11.66 over the past 60 days, indicating positive sentiment about the stock's growth potential [10]. - The current earnings estimates for Q1 and Q2 are 2.64 and 2.46 respectively, with full-year estimates for 2025 and 2026 at 10.95 and 11.66 [11]. Group 3: Challenges and Strategic Actions - Despite growth in hybrid cloud and AI, IBM faces margin pressure due to intense competition from AWS and Microsoft Azure, leading to pricing pressures that erode profitability [12][15]. - The company plans to cut approximately 9,000 jobs in the U.S. to reduce operating costs, with many positions being shifted to India as part of a strategy to leverage lower operating costs [12][13]. - Job cuts are confirmed across various departments, including consulting and human resources, as IBM integrates AI into its operations [13]. Group 4: Overall Outlook - IBM's fundamentals remain strong, supported by robust demand trends and a focus on hybrid cloud and AI, which are expected to drive value for customers [14]. - The company is currently viewed as having a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), suggesting a cautious approach for new investors [15].

Jim Chanos (left) speaks with Forbes editor Matt Schifrin on stage at the 2025 Forbes Iconoclast Summit.Jamel Toppin/ForbesWhen legendary investor Jim Chanos entered the stage at the 2025 Forbes Iconoclast Summit Thursday, he had a big smile on his face thanks to the very public feud that had erupted behind President Donald Trump and the world’s richest person, Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Chanos, who first shorted Tesla stock back in 2016, said of the spat: “Most predictable breakup ever.”With a long and successfu ...

TORONTO and PETERBOROUGH, ON, June 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global diversified professional services and investment management company, Colliers (NASDAQ, TSX: CIGI), announced today that its Canadian engineering platform, Englobe Corporation (“Englobe”), has finalized an agreement to acquire Cambium Inc. (“Cambium”), a leading multi-service engineering consulting firm in Ontario. The addition will strengthen Englobe’s scale, geographic footprint, and capabilities in Canada’s largest market. Cambium’s se ...

Momentum investing revolves around the idea of following a stock's recent trend in either direction. In the 'long' context, investors will be essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." With this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving that way. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades.Even though momentum is a popular stock char ...

Core Viewpoint - Gartner's shares have decreased by approximately 2.8% since the last earnings report, underperforming the S&P 500, raising questions about the potential for a breakout or continued negative trend leading up to the next earnings release [1]. Earnings Estimates - Estimates for Gartner have remained flat over the past month, indicating no significant changes in expectations [2]. VGM Scores - Gartner holds a Growth Score of B and a Momentum Score of A, but has a Value Score of D, placing it in the bottom 40% for this investment strategy. The overall aggregate VGM Score for the stock is B, which is relevant for investors not focused on a single strategy [3]. Outlook - Gartner has a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), suggesting an expectation of an in-line return from the stock in the upcoming months [4]. Industry Performance - Gartner is part of the Zacks Consulting Services industry. CRA International (CRAI), a competitor in the same industry, has seen a 6.1% increase in its stock price over the past month. CRA reported revenues of $181.85 million for the quarter ended March 2025, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 5.9% [5]. - CRA's earnings per share (EPS) for the same quarter was $2.22, compared to $1.96 a year ago. For the current quarter, CRA is expected to post earnings of $1.83 per share, with no change from the previous year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRA has changed by +0.4% over the last 30 days, resulting in a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) and a VGM Score of D [6].