Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) have been given an average recommendation of “Reduce” by the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $189.77.

CRL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Charles River Laboratories International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $188.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $185.00 target price (down from $250.00) on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $205.00 to $166.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Performance

Shares of CRL opened at $149.30 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.63 billion, a PE ratio of 995.33, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $163.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $181.69. Charles River Laboratories International has a 52-week low of $142.76 and a 52-week high of $264.71.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The medical research company reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.16. Charles River Laboratories International had a net margin of 0.52% and a return on equity of 14.69%. The business had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $983.63 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Charles River Laboratories International will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO James C. Foster bought 6,075 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $165.01 per share, for a total transaction of $1,002,435.75. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 183,639 shares in the company, valued at $30,302,271.39. This represents a 3.42 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Birgit Girshick bought 1,514 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $164.63 per share, with a total value of $249,249.82. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer now directly owns 55,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,064,198.54. This trade represents a 2.83 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Charles River Laboratories International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CRL. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 1,071.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 164 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 52.0% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new position in Charles River Laboratories International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 311.5% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in Charles River Laboratories International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 98.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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).