Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $230.52 and last traded at $231.7270, with a volume of 110118 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $226.79.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CRL has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Charles River Laboratories International from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $185.00 to $220.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $165.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Friday, May 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $250.00 target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Mizuho set a $192.00 price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.88.

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Up 0.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.36. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $180.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $184.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.11 billion, a P/E ratio of -61.33, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.39.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The medical research company reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $995.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $977.46 million. Charles River Laboratories International had a negative net margin of 4.59% and a positive return on equity of 15.36%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.34 EPS. Charles River Laboratories International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.800-11.300 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 11.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Charles River Laboratories International

In other news, Director James C. Foster sold 75,000 shares of Charles River Laboratories International stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total transaction of $16,875,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 31,596 shares in the company, valued at $7,109,100. The trade was a 70.36% 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. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 115.8% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,696,150 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $537,828,000 after acquiring an additional 1,446,972 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new stake in Charles River Laboratories International during the fourth quarter valued at about $176,478,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 9,938.8% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 691,474 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $137,935,000 after purchasing an additional 684,586 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 1,491.1% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 613,604 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $96,005,000 after purchasing an additional 575,039 shares during the period. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 117.7% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 946,769 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $148,131,000 after purchasing an additional 511,901 shares during the period. 98.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Charles River Laboratories International Company Profile

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.