William Blair Has Pessimistic Outlook of CRL Q4 Earnings

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) – William Blair cut their Q4 2024 EPS estimates for Charles River Laboratories International in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, November 7th. William Blair analyst M. Smock now forecasts that the medical research company will post earnings per share of $2.46 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $2.57. The consensus estimate for Charles River Laboratories International’s current full-year earnings is $10.20 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Charles River Laboratories International’s Q1 2025 earnings at $2.41 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $2.85 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $10.59 EPS.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Charles River Laboratories International from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $270.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $190.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $250.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Citigroup cut Charles River Laboratories International from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $215.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Charles River Laboratories International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $217.54.

Charles River Laboratories International Price Performance

CRL stock opened at $215.84 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $194.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $207.91. Charles River Laboratories International has a 12-month low of $168.24 and a 12-month high of $275.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The company has a market capitalization of $11.04 billion, a PE ratio of 27.01, a P/E/G ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 1.38.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical research company reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.16. Charles River Laboratories International had a return on equity of 14.29% and a net margin of 10.44%. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $975.99 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.72 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Charles River Laboratories International announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, August 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical research company to purchase up to 9.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Charles River Laboratories International

In related news, Director Richard F. Wallman sold 6,621 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.12, for a total value of $1,430,930.52. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 12,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,676,862.32. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,046,467 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,638,290,000 after purchasing an additional 66,161 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 1.7% in the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 1,908,989 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $394,359,000 after buying an additional 31,359 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 40.7% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,760,781 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $346,821,000 after buying an additional 509,163 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 3.1% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,513,138 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $409,985,000 after buying an additional 45,079 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meritage Group LP increased its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Meritage Group LP now owns 1,182,268 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $320,336,000 after acquiring an additional 26,892 shares during the period. 98.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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).