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

Shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) have earned an average rating of “Reduce” from the sixteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and fifteen have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $189.77.

A number of research firms have weighed in on CRL. William Blair downgraded Charles River Laboratories International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $205.00 to $166.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $185.00 price target (down from $250.00) on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research note on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Charles River Laboratories International from $177.00 to $173.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charles River Laboratories International

In related news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 4,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.50, for a total value of $715,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,013 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,252,112.50. This represents a 18.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO James C. Foster purchased 6,075 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $165.01 per share, for a total transaction of $1,002,435.75. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 183,639 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,302,271.39. This trade represents a 3.42 % 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

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

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Down 1.6 %

CRL opened at $155.60 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,037.35, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Charles River Laboratories International has a 12 month low of $150.79 and a 12 month high of $273.32. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $164.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $182.73.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $983.63 million. Charles River Laboratories International had a return on equity of 14.69% and a net margin of 0.52%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.46 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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).