Robert W. Baird Cuts Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) Price Target to $173.00

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) had its target price lowered by analysts at Robert W. Baird from $177.00 to $173.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the medical research company's stock. Robert W. Baird's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 6.06% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on CRL. StockNews.com lowered Charles River Laboratories International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued 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. Barclays reduced their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $205.00 to $166.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen increased their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $203.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, William Blair lowered Charles River Laboratories International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Charles River Laboratories International has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $195.71.

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Up 0.5 %

CRL traded up $0.86 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $163.11. 1,215,947 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,060,465. The firm's fifty day moving average is $172.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.37. Charles River Laboratories International has a 1-year low of $150.79 and a 1-year high of $275.00. 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 company has a market cap of $8.34 billion, a PE ratio of 1,087.39, a PEG ratio of 6.77 and a beta of 1.37.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The medical research company reported $2.66 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $983.63 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.46 EPS. Charles River Laboratories International's revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Charles River Laboratories International will post 9.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Birgit Girshick purchased 1,514 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $164.63 per share, for a total transaction of $249,249.82. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer now directly owns 55,058 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,064,198.54. This represents a 2.83 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 4,400 shares of Charles River Laboratories International stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,013 shares in the company, valued at $3,252,112.50. This trade represents a 18.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 135,927.9% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,740,768 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $736,819,000 after acquiring an additional 3,738,018 shares in the last quarter. D1 Capital Partners L.P. purchased a new position in Charles River Laboratories International in the fourth quarter worth $172,752,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Charles River Laboratories International in the fourth quarter worth $98,886,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in Charles River Laboratories International in the fourth quarter worth $56,820,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Charles River Laboratories International in the fourth quarter worth $42,776,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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).