First Trust Advisors LP Buys 41,788 Shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)

First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Free Report) by 56.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 115,483 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 41,788 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.23% of Charles River Laboratories International worth $21,318,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 1,071.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 164 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its stake 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 during the period. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 311.5% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd purchased a new stake in Charles River Laboratories International in the 4th quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 77.7% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 263 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.91% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Redburn Atlantic raised Charles River Laboratories International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $188.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Charles River Laboratories International from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Citigroup raised shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $155.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Charles River Laboratories International presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $182.00.

Insider Activity

In other Charles River Laboratories International news, CEO James C. Foster purchased 6,075 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $165.01 per share, with a total value of $1,002,435.75. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 183,639 shares in the company, valued at $30,302,271.39. The trade was a 3.42 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 4,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.50, for a total transaction of $715,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,013 shares in the company, 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. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CRL opened at $114.71 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $146.73 and a 200 day moving average of $171.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $5.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 764.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.45. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $91.86 and a 52 week high of $254.15.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The medical research company reported $2.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $983.63 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.46 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. 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).

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