Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) Given Average Rating of "Reduce" by Brokerages

Shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Reduce" from the sixteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and fifteen have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $189.77.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CRL. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $190.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, March 21st. William Blair lowered shares of Charles River Laboratories International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays cut their price target 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 objective (down from $250.00) on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 13th.

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Charles River Laboratories International Price Performance

CRL traded up $3.31 on Friday, reaching $149.30. 1,192,874 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 765,002. Charles River Laboratories International has a twelve month low of $141.72 and a twelve month high of $264.71. The stock has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a PE ratio of 995.33, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $163.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.69.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The medical research company reported $2.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.16. Charles River Laboratories International had a return on equity of 14.69% and a net margin of 0.52%. The business had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $983.63 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.46 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Charles River Laboratories International will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charles River Laboratories International

In other Charles River Laboratories International news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was 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 $3,252,112.50. This trade represents a 18.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Birgit Girshick acquired 1,514 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $164.63 per share, with a total value of $249,249.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 55,058 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,064,198.54. This represents a 2.83 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Charles River Laboratories International

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

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).