Empower Advisory Group LLC Sells 3,497 Shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)

Empower Advisory Group LLC cut its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Free Report) by 1.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 269,104 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 3,497 shares during the quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC owned about 0.52% of Charles River Laboratories International worth $53,005,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 77.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 131 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the first quarter valued at about $41,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 1,153.3% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 188 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 219.3% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 281 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Down 4.8 %

NYSE CRL traded down $10.39 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $205.55. 637,747 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 617,448. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $174.92 and a 12 month high of $275.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.51 billion, a PE ratio of 26.03, a PEG ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a 50 day moving average of $194.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $207.91.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical research company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.16. Charles River Laboratories International had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 14.29%. The firm had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $975.99 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.72 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 10.18 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Insider Transactions at Charles River Laboratories International

In other news, Director Richard F. Wallman sold 6,621 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 12,386 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,676,862.32. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $203.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Baird R W downgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They set a "sell" rating and a $151.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $215.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $217.54.

Charles River Laboratories International 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).