Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the seventeen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $171.85.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on CRL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Barclays upped their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $175.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $190.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $170.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.41, for a total transaction of $72,705.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,513 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,837,385.33. This trade represents a 2.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. D1 Capital Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $172,752,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 407.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 997,488 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $150,142,000 after acquiring an additional 800,762 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 1,721.1% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 570,097 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $85,811,000 after purchasing an additional 538,792 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Charles River Laboratories International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $98,886,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 304.7% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 627,710 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $94,484,000 after buying an additional 472,606 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.91% of the company's stock.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Performance

Charles River Laboratories International stock traded up $0.84 on Thursday, reaching $151.95. 910,582 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 998,938. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Charles River Laboratories International has a twelve month low of $91.86 and a twelve month high of $254.15. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $128.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $158.06. The stock has a market cap of $7.46 billion, a PE ratio of 1,013.00, a PEG ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.48.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The medical research company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $984.17 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $942.34 million. Charles River Laboratories International had a net margin of 0.52% and a return on equity of 14.69%. Charles River Laboratories International's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.27 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Charles River Laboratories International will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

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).