Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) Upgraded at Citigroup

Citigroup upgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Free Report) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $200.00 target price on the medical research company's stock, up from their previous target price of $150.00.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on CRL. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $188.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Cowen raised shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $118.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $179.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $174.54.

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of CRL stock traded down $3.88 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $159.78. The stock had a trading volume of 518,978 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,034,082. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $144.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $151.59. Charles River Laboratories International has a 52-week low of $91.86 and a 52-week high of $254.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.85 billion, a PE ratio of -245.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The medical research company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 negative net margin of 0.66% and a positive return on equity of 15.19%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.27 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Charles River Laboratories International will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Charles River Laboratories International

In related news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.41, for a total value of $72,705.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 19,513 shares in the company, valued at $2,837,385.33. The trade was a 2.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 641 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $118,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 2,246 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $415,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Charles River Laboratories International during the 4th quarter valued at about $10,768,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Charles River Laboratories International during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,776,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 25.7% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 14,278 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,636,000 after acquiring an additional 2,916 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.91% of the company's stock.

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).