Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have given Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. a consensus rating of "Hold," with two sell recommendations, seven holds, and eight buys among the coverage from seventeen research firms.
• The average 12-month price target for CRL stock is $179.93, with notable upgrades from Barclays and Evercore ISI, raising their targets to $195.00 and $200.00, respectively.
• Charles River Laboratories reported a record EPS of $3.12 for the recent quarter, exceeding analyst expectations and showing a slight year-over-year revenue growth of 0.6%.

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Hold" by the seventeen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $179.9286.

CRL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays upgraded Charles River Laboratories International from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Citigroup raised shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $150.00 to $200.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, William Blair raised shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th.

Charles River Laboratories International Price Performance

NYSE CRL opened at $170.05 on Wednesday. Charles River Laboratories International has a 52 week low of $91.86 and a 52 week high of $230.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.37 billion, a P/E ratio of -127.86, a PEG ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $159.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $147.74.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The medical research company reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.62. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $983.76 million. Charles River Laboratories International had a negative net margin of 1.69% and a positive return on equity of 15.74%. The firm's revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.80 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Charles River Laboratories International will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Charles River Laboratories International

In related news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.60, for a total transaction of $126,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 24,116 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,800,681.60. This trade represents a 3.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Congress Asset Management Co. purchased a new stake in Charles River Laboratories International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $343,000. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 12.5% during the third quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,128 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $802,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC grew its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 4.2% during the third quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 2,120 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $332,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 4.1% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 12,500 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,956,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sendero Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 2.3% during the third quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,863 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $3,734,000 after purchasing an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Charles River Laboratories International Company Profile

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).

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