Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) Downgraded to "Hold" Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Friday morning.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $118.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Cowen raised shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $188.00 to $182.00 in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $175.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $190.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $171.85.

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Up 1.1%

CRL traded up $1.63 during trading on Friday, reaching $151.64. 857,009 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,023,694. The company's fifty day moving average price is $136.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $153.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.43. Charles River Laboratories International has a fifty-two week low of $91.86 and a fifty-two week high of $254.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.45 billion, a PE ratio of -233.29, a P/E/G ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.48.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The medical research company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.06 by $0.28. Charles River Laboratories International had a negative net margin of 0.66% and a positive return on equity of 15.19%. The firm had revenue of $984.17 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $942.34 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.27 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Charles River Laboratories International will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Charles River Laboratories International news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.41, for a total transaction of $72,705.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 19,513 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,837,385.33. The trade was a 2.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 13.1% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 44,500 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $6,698,000 after buying an additional 5,148 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 60.1% during the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,407 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $362,000 after buying an additional 904 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 61.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 459 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 15,914 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $2,395,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 12.7% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,557 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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).