KBC Group NV Cuts Position in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)

KBC Group NV lessened its stake in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Free Report) by 10.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 76,306 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 9,056 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.16% of Charles River Laboratories International worth $11,486,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the 4th quarter valued at about $255,000. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 1,720 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 61.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 459 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 115.5% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 390 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 641 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $118,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of CRL traded down $0.37 on Friday, reaching $157.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 247,085 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,027,096. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $91.86 and a twelve month high of $254.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.72 billion, a PE ratio of -241.72, a PEG ratio of 5.33 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. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $139.86 and a 200-day moving average of $152.94.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.06 by $0.28. Charles River Laboratories International had a positive return on equity of 15.19% and a negative net margin of 0.66%. The firm had revenue of $984.17 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $942.34 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.27 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Charles River Laboratories International news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 500 shares of Charles River Laboratories International 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 directly owned 19,513 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,837,385.33. The trade was a 2.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CRL has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Charles River Laboratories International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $118.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays upped their price objective on 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. Cowen upgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised Charles River Laboratories International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $188.00 to $182.00 in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $171.85.

Charles River Laboratories International 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).