GW&K Investment Management LLC Increases Position in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)

GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Free Report) by 41.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 88,410 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 25,744 shares during the quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.18% of Charles River Laboratories International worth $13,307,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 2.7% in the 1st 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 acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP raised its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 18.2% during the 1st quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,850 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 26.8% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $196,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 16.7% during the 1st quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 131,820 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $19,842,000 after buying an additional 18,894 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Laurus Global Equity Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 13.9% during the 1st quarter. Laurus Global Equity Management Inc. now owns 90,180 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $13,574,000 after buying an additional 11,030 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.91% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on CRL. Cowen upgraded Charles River Laboratories International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $118.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Citigroup upgraded Charles River Laboratories International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $150.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Barclays lifted their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Charles River Laboratories International presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $174.54.

Charles River Laboratories International Price Performance

Shares of Charles River Laboratories International stock traded up $0.16 on Friday, hitting $177.26. 455,273 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,306,910. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -272.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.68 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $149.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $150.23. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $91.86 and a 1-year high of $254.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The medical research company reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $984.17 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $942.34 million. Charles River Laboratories International had a positive return on equity of 15.19% and a negative net margin of 0.66%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.27 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Charles River Laboratories International

In other news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 500 shares of Charles River Laboratories International stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

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).