Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 4,188 Shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in Charles River Laboratories by 23.5%, selling 4,188 shares, resulting in a total holding of 13,614 shares valued at approximately $2,049,000.
• The company reported earnings of $2.34 EPS, surpassing expectations and generating revenue of $984.17 million for the quarter, despite a 2.7% decline compared to the same quarter last year.
• Charles River Laboratories has received mixed ratings from analysts, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $174.54, reflecting varied institutional interest and investment strategies.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Free Report) by 23.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,614 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 4,188 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Charles River Laboratories International were worth $2,049,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CRL. Two Sigma Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC now owns 1,981 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $366,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Wahed Invest LLC boosted its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 1,321 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $244,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 2.7% in the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 3,916 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $589,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 4,131 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $763,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Veracity Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Veracity Capital LLC now owns 3,298 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $496,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen raised Charles River Laboratories International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $179.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen cut Charles River Laboratories International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Charles River Laboratories International from $175.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $188.00 to $182.00 in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $174.54.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Charles River Laboratories International news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 500 shares of Charles River Laboratories International 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Charles River Laboratories International Price Performance

NYSE:CRL traded down $0.62 on Tuesday, hitting $167.30. The company had a trading volume of 1,382,318 shares, compared to its average volume of 816,352. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -257.38, a PEG ratio of 5.68 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $154.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $149.47. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $91.86 and a 52 week high of $234.90.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The medical research company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $984.17 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.27 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current year.

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).