Charles River Associates reported record third-quarter fiscal 2026 results, with revenue rising 15.6% to $214.9 million and the company posting its highest third-quarter net income, diluted earnings per share and EBITDA. It also raised its full-year revenue guidance, narrowed its profit-margin guidance range and increased its quarterly dividend by 17.5%.
Key details
- Growth was broad-based. Seven practices grew year over year, together representing about 95% of quarterly revenue. Forensic Services, Life Sciences, and Risk, Investigations & Analytics each recorded double-digit growth. Antitrust & Competition Economics reached a new quarterly revenue high.
- Both major service lines expanded. Legal & Regulatory revenue increased 15.7%, while Management Consulting revenue rose 9.8%.
- Revenue grew across regions. North American operations were up 18.0% year over year; international operations increased 6.2%.
- Consultant utilization was 78%. Consultant headcount at quarter-end was 6.2% higher than a year earlier.
- Fiscal-year outlook improved. CRA increased its revenue guidance for fiscal 2026 and narrowed the range for its profit-margin guidance. The specific revised guidance figures are not included in the materials provided here.
- The quarterly dividend rose to $0.67 a share. It is payable December 11 to shareholders of record November 24.
Plain-English implications
The results point to growth across most of CRA’s business, rather than reliance on a single practice or region. The higher revenue outlook reflects that performance; the narrower margin guidance range indicates the company has also tightened its expected range for profitability. The dividend increase raises the cash distribution to shareholders.