Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) Stock Has Average Price Target of $302.33

Key Points

• Analysts rate CRL a “Moderate Buy”: Of 17 analysts, 12 recommend buying, two strongly recommend buying, two advise holding, and one recommends selling. The average 12-month price target is $302.33.
• Charles River Laboratories reported quarterly EPS of $3.02, beating estimates of $2.77, while revenue reached $1 billion but declined 2.7% year over year. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $11.15–$11.45.
• Insiders sold 94,127 shares worth approximately $26.8 million over the past 90 days, while institutional investors own 98.91% of the company’s stock.

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation, twelve have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $302.33.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on CRL shares. Piper Sandler set a $300.00 price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research note on Monday, August 10th. UBS Group started coverage on Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $357.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Charles River Laboratories International from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Charles River Laboratories International from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $180.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. 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.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Performance

Shares of CRL stock opened at $345.08 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $16.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -71.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.40. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $294.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $233.22. Charles River Laboratories International has a 12-month low of $146.20 and a 12-month high of $351.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The medical research company reported $3.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.25. Charles River Laboratories International had a positive return on equity of 15.75% and a negative net margin of 5.96%. The firm had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $980.53 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.12 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Charles River Laboratories International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Charles River Laboratories International will post 11.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charles River Laboratories International

In other news, CAO Michael Knell sold 6,645 shares of Charles River Laboratories International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.38, for a total transaction of $1,730,225.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 11,852 shares in the company, valued at $3,086,023.76. The trade was a 35.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Victoria Creamer sold 4,179 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.16, for a total value of $1,083,029.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,788,017.16. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 94,127 shares of company stock worth $26,776,516. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 127.9% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 98 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 25.9% during the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 277 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC grew its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 1,469 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $333,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 2.8% during the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 2,706 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $467,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, Syon Capital LLC grew its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,547 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $804,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Charles River Laboratories International Company Profile

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc is a contract research and laboratory services company that supports pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and academic research organizations. The company provides products and services used throughout the drug-development process, from early discovery and research through preclinical testing and manufacturing support.

Its offerings include research models, laboratory animal management, discovery and safety assessment services, toxicology testing, bioanalysis, and support for biologic, cell and gene therapy programs.

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