Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 47,432 Shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. $CRL

Key Points

• Vanguard increased its Q4 stake by 47,432 shares to hold 5,887,175 shares of Charles River, representing about 11.96% of the company and valued at $1.174 billion.
• Wall Street is broadly positive with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a mean target of $205.36, though recent analyst moves are mixed (e.g., Barclays raised its target to $210 while JPMorgan cut its target to $160).
• Charles River slightly beat Q4 EPS expectations ($2.39 vs. $2.33) on $994.2M revenue (down 0.8% y/y), reported a negative net margin of 3.59%, and set FY2026 EPS guidance of $10.70–$11.20 versus an analyst average of 10.97.

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Free Report) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,887,175 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 47,432 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 11.96% of Charles River Laboratories International worth $1,174,374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in CRL. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new stake in Charles River Laboratories International in the 4th quarter valued at about $176,478,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 1,491.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 613,604 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $96,005,000 after buying an additional 575,039 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 117.7% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 946,769 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $148,131,000 after acquiring an additional 511,901 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 722.5% in the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 434,226 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $65,885,000 after acquiring an additional 381,432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management increased its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 1,773.0% during the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 297,800 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $46,594,000 after acquiring an additional 281,900 shares during the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on CRL shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $165.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Barclays lifted their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $205.36.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Performance

NYSE:CRL opened at $165.92 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.19 billion, a P/E ratio of -56.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.45. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $169.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $182.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.89 and a 1 year high of $228.88.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The medical research company reported $2.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.33 by $0.06. Charles River Laboratories International had a positive return on equity of 15.60% and a negative net margin of 3.59%.The firm had revenue of $994.23 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $986.98 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.66 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Charles River Laboratories International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.700-11.200 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 10.97 earnings per share for the current year.

About Charles River Laboratories International

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc is a leading provider of research models and preclinical and clinical support services for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The company's core offerings include discovery, safety assessment, toxicology, and pathology services, as well as supply of laboratory animals and related diagnostics. Services extend across in vivo and in vitro testing, biologics testing, and support for advanced therapies, helping clients accelerate drug development from early discovery through regulatory submission.

Founded in 1947 in Wilmington, Massachusetts, Charles River has grown through strategic investments and acquisitions to establish a broad portfolio of capabilities.

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