Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) Sets New 1-Year High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Charles River Laboratories shares reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as $335.72 and closing activity around $338.57—up 7.8% from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $302.33, although individual ratings range from Sell to Strong Buy.
• The company beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, but revenue declined 2.7% year over year; meanwhile, insiders sold about $26 million of stock in the latest quarter while institutional investors held 98.91% of shares.

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $335.72 and last traded at $338.57, with a volume of 540,666 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $315.45.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. CLSA cut Charles River Laboratories International from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $219.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Barclays boosted their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Monday, September 28th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $357.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Evercore set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Charles River Laboratories International currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $302.33.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Up 7.8%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $290.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $230.05. The firm has a market cap of $16.24 billion, a P/E ratio of -70.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.40.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The medical research company reported $3.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $980.53 million. Charles River Laboratories International had a negative net margin of 5.96% and a positive return on equity of 15.75%. The business's revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.12 EPS. Charles River Laboratories International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 11.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Charles River Laboratories International

In related news, EVP Shannon Parisotto sold 981 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.44, for a total value of $302,579.64. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,482,671.08. This represents a 16.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Nancy C. Andrews sold 573 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.24, for a total value of $163,442.52. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,438 shares in the company, valued at approximately $410,175.12. The trade was a 28.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 91,971 shares of company stock worth $26,033,968 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Charles River Laboratories International

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 14.6% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,652,484 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $285,001,000 after acquiring an additional 210,260 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,135,027 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $195,792,000 after buying an additional 54,500 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 175.2% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 773,315 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $133,397,000 after purchasing an additional 492,301 shares in the last quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. boosted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 11.2% during the first quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 501,152 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $86,449,000 after buying an additional 50,462 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 230.9% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 204,537 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $59,044,000 after acquiring an additional 142,716 shares during the period. 98.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Charles River Laboratories International

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc is a contract research and laboratory services company that supports pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and academic research organizations. The company provides products and services used throughout the drug-development process, from early discovery and research through preclinical testing and manufacturing support.

Its offerings include research models, laboratory animal management, discovery and safety assessment services, toxicology testing, bioanalysis, and support for biologic, cell and gene therapy programs.

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