Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) Shares Up 5.2% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• CRL shares jumped 5.2% to about $291.73, despite trading volume falling 91% below the average daily level.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus from 15 analysts and price targets ranging from $250 to $330; the average target is $273.81.
• Charles River exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $3.02 versus $2.77 expected and revenue of roughly $1 billion, though revenue declined 2.7% year over year. Insiders sold $42.6 million of stock over the past 90 days, while institutional investors own 98.91% of shares.

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 5.2% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $294.24 and last traded at $291.7270. Approximately 81,426 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 923,697 shares. The stock had previously closed at $277.33.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on CRL shares. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $250.00 price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Friday, September 11th. Mizuho set a $264.00 price objective on Charles River Laboratories International in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Argus set a $330.00 target price on Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $273.81.

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Up 5.4%

The firm has a market cap of $13.95 billion, a P/E ratio of -60.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company's fifty day moving average price is $267.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $211.63.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The medical research company reported $3.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $1 billion for 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 company'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 business earned $3.12 earnings per share. Charles River Laboratories International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 11.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charles River Laboratories International

In related news, CEO Birgit Girshick sold 6,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.90, for a total transaction of $1,819,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 36,013 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,080,038.70. This trade represents a 15.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director James C. Foster sold 33,561 shares of Charles River Laboratories International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $10,068,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 31,596 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,478,800. The trade was a 51.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 165,990 shares of company stock worth $42,606,388 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 14.6% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,652,484 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $285,001,000 after acquiring an additional 210,260 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,276,502 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $254,186,000 after purchasing an additional 9,756 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 5.0% during the first 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 purchasing an additional 54,500 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 836,240 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $166,813,000 after purchasing an additional 66,803 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 175.2% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 773,315 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $133,397,000 after purchasing an additional 492,301 shares in the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Charles River Laboratories International Company Profile

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc is a global provider of drug discovery, nonclinical development and laboratory services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, as well as academic and government research institutions. The company supports customers throughout the development process, from early-stage research and target identification through preclinical testing and regulatory preparation.

Its offerings include research models and related products, discovery and development services, toxicology and safety assessment, efficacy testing, bioanalysis, and laboratory testing.

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