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

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” by the sixteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and fifteen have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $182.00.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on CRL shares. Citigroup raised Charles River Laboratories International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $175.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $175.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays reduced their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target 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. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $185.00 price target (down previously from $250.00) on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Friday, January 17th.

Insider Transactions at Charles River Laboratories International

In related news, COO Birgit Girshick bought 1,514 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $164.63 per share, with a total value of $249,249.82. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief operating officer now owns 55,058 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,064,198.54. The trade was a 2.83 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 4,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.50, for a total value of $715,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,252,112.50. This trade represents a 18.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 1,665 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $310,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 52.0% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,940 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 1,720 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Securities LLC grew its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC now owns 1,981 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. 98.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Performance

Shares of Charles River Laboratories International stock opened at $107.00 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $149.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $172.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $5.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 713.33, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.45. Charles River Laboratories International has a 12 month low of $91.86 and a 12 month high of $254.15.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The medical research company reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $983.63 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.46 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Charles River Laboratories International will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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).