Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) Hits New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $299.99 and last traded at $297.8960, with a volume of 205 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $298.58.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CRL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $180.00 to $310.00 in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Charles River Laboratories International from $215.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $250.00 target price on Charles River Laboratories International in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Piper Sandler set a $300.00 target price on Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Charles River Laboratories International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.65.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $14.11 billion, a PE ratio of -60.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.38. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $241.70 and a 200-day moving average of $195.88.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The medical research company reported $3.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $980.53 million. Charles River Laboratories International had a positive return on equity of 15.75% and a negative net margin of 5.96%.Charles River Laboratories International’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.12 EPS. Charles River Laboratories International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 11.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Charles River Laboratories International

In related news, CEO Birgit Girshick sold 6,500 shares of Charles River Laboratories International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.90, for a total value of $1,819,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 36,013 shares in the company, valued at $10,080,038.70. The trade was a 15.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director James C. Foster sold 28,733 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $7,901,575.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 31,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,688,900. This trade represents a 47.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 132,429 shares of company stock valued at $32,538,088 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 167.6% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,715 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,074 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International during the first quarter worth approximately $418,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 41.9% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,469 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $830,000 after purchasing an additional 1,616 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 5.1% during the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,333 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 84,605 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $12,837,000 after buying an additional 3,198 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.91% of the company’s stock.

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.