Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the seventeen research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $172.31.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CRL. TD Cowen raised Charles River Laboratories International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $179.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Charles River Laboratories International from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Cowen raised Charles River Laboratories International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Redburn Atlantic raised Charles River Laboratories International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $188.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $220.00 to $184.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th.

Insider Activity at Charles River Laboratories International

In related news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 4,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.50, for a total transaction of $715,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,013 shares in the company, valued at $3,252,112.50. The trade was a 18.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James C. Foster acquired 6,075 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $165.01 per share, with a total value of $1,002,435.75. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 183,639 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,302,271.39. This represents a 3.42% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 5,040 shares of company stock worth $807,407. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 480.0% in the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 174 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 93.5% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 178 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 311.5% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 251 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of CRL stock opened at $141.00 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $135.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $164.86. Charles River Laboratories International has a twelve month low of $91.86 and a twelve month high of $254.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 940.00, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The medical research company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.06 by $0.28. Charles River Laboratories International had a return on equity of 14.69% and a net margin of 0.52%. The firm had revenue of $984.17 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $942.34 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.27 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Charles River Laboratories International will post 9.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Charles River Laboratories International Company 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).