Ariel Investments LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)

Ariel Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Free Report) by 18.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,067,327 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 169,640 shares during the period. Charles River Laboratories International accounts for approximately 2.1% of Ariel Investments LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Ariel Investments LLC owned approximately 2.09% of Charles River Laboratories International worth $197,029,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 1,665 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 52.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,940 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 1,720 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC now owns 1,981 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $366,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Charles River Laboratories International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CRL traded down $4.23 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $115.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,089,320 shares, compared to its average volume of 944,545. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $140.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $167.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 768.07, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.50. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $91.86 and a 1-year high of $254.15.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The medical research company reported $2.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $983.63 million. Charles River Laboratories International had a return on equity of 14.69% and a net margin of 0.52%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.46 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Charles River Laboratories International

In other news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 4,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.50, for a total value of $715,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,013 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,252,112.50. This represents a 18.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Birgit Girshick acquired 1,514 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $164.63 per share, with a total value of $249,249.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 55,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,064,198.54. The trade was a 2.83 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on CRL shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $177.00 to $173.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. William Blair cut shares of Charles River Laboratories International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup upgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $220.00 to $184.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $182.00.

About Charles River Laboratories International

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc provides drug discovery, non-clinical development, and safety testing services in the United States, Europe, Canada, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Research Models and Services (RMS), Discovery and Safety Assessment (DSA), and Manufacturing Solutions (Manufacturing).