Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) Sets New 52-Week High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Charles River Laboratories shares reached a new 52-week high of $277.07, rising well above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Analysts remain broadly positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and several price targets near $300.
• The company beat quarterly expectations, reporting $3.02 in adjusted EPS versus $2.77 expected and revenue of $1 billion, although revenue declined 2.7% year over year and net margin remained negative.
• Insiders sold approximately $21 million of stock over the past 90 days under pre-arranged trading plans, while institutional investors own 98.91% of the company’s shares.

Shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $277.07 and last traded at $276.34, with a volume of 1025310 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $267.49.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $215.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $235.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research note on Monday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $255.65.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $216.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $189.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market cap of $13.19 billion, a PE ratio of -56.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.38.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The medical research company reported $3.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.25. Charles River Laboratories International had a negative net margin of 5.96% and a positive return on equity of 15.75%. The firm had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $980.53 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.12 earnings per share. Charles River Laboratories International's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Charles River Laboratories International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 11.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director James C. Foster sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total value of $16,875,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 31,596 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,109,100. This represents a 70.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Shannon M. Parisotto sold 5,046 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.00, for a total transaction of $1,327,098.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,807 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,264,241. This represents a 51.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 90,870 shares of company stock worth $21,015,353. 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. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 115.8% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,696,150 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $537,828,000 after acquiring an additional 1,446,972 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the fourth quarter valued at $176,478,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 9,938.8% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 691,474 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $137,935,000 after acquiring an additional 684,586 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 1,491.1% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 613,604 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $96,005,000 after purchasing an additional 575,039 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi boosted its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 175.2% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 773,315 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $133,397,000 after purchasing an additional 492,301 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.91% of the company's stock.

Charles River Laboratories International Company Profile

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc is a leading provider of research models and preclinical and clinical support services for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The company's core offerings include discovery, safety assessment, toxicology, and pathology services, as well as supply of laboratory animals and related diagnostics. Services extend across in vivo and in vitro testing, biologics testing, and support for advanced therapies, helping clients accelerate drug development from early discovery through regulatory submission.

Founded in 1947 in Wilmington, Massachusetts, Charles River has grown through strategic investments and acquisitions to establish a broad portfolio of capabilities.

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