Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) Stock Holdings Boosted by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Free Report) by 42.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,757 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,194 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in Charles River Laboratories International were worth $1,985,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRL. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 3.6% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 60,501 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $11,917,000 after acquiring an additional 2,126 shares during the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new position in Charles River Laboratories International during the fourth quarter worth about $246,000. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,603 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $665,000 after buying an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Veracity Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International during the fourth quarter worth about $589,000. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International during the fourth quarter worth about $237,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.91% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Up 0.9%

CRL traded up $1.16 during trading on Friday, hitting $136.76. 775,603 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 991,241. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $91.86 and a 1 year high of $254.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $132.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $163.45. The firm has a market cap of $6.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 911.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.50.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last released 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. Charles River Laboratories International had a net margin of 0.52% and a return on equity of 14.69%. The company had revenue of $984.17 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $942.34 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.27 earnings per share. Charles River Laboratories International's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CRL. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $220.00 to $184.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $175.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $190.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $188.00 to $182.00 in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $171.85.

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).