Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and ten have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $209.4615.

Several analysts have weighed in on CRL shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $200.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Argus set a $200.00 price objective on Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Monday, November 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $185.00 price target on Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Charles River Laboratories International from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th.

Charles River Laboratories International Price Performance

CRL stock opened at $161.15 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $202.74 and a 200-day moving average of $179.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Charles River Laboratories International has a 12 month low of $91.86 and a 12 month high of $228.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.93 billion, a P/E ratio of -103.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 1.63.

Institutional Trading of Charles River Laboratories International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRL. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the 4th quarter worth about $176,478,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $137,935,000 after acquiring an additional 684,586 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 1,491.1% in 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. National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $148,131,000 after purchasing an additional 511,901 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International during the second quarter valued at approximately $76,952,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.91% of the company’s stock.

About Charles River Laboratories International

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.