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

Shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seventeen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $172.31.

CRL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup raised shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $155.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Cowen raised shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $118.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $175.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $220.00 to $184.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE CRL opened at $135.43 on Friday. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $132.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $163.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 902.89, a PEG ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.50. Charles River Laboratories International has a 52 week low of $91.86 and a 52 week high of $254.15.

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

Insider Activity at Charles River Laboratories International

In other Charles River Laboratories International news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.41, for a total value of $72,705.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,513 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,837,385.33. The trade was a 2.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRL. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 3.6% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 60,501 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $11,917,000 after purchasing an additional 2,126 shares in the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in Charles River Laboratories International in the fourth quarter worth about $246,000. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,603 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $665,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Veracity Capital LLC bought a new position in Charles River Laboratories International in the fourth quarter worth about $589,000. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in Charles River Laboratories International in the fourth quarter worth about $237,000. 98.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Charles River Laboratories International

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).