Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Makes New $2.92 Million Investment in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 14,800 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $2,915,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 2.8% in the second quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 200,314 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $41,381,000 after purchasing an additional 5,375 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 99.8% in the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 5,297 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,435,000 after buying an additional 2,646 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 135,175.0% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 5,411 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,118,000 after acquiring an additional 5,407 shares during the last quarter. New England Research & Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the second quarter worth approximately $506,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 3.4% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 111,995 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $22,060,000 after acquiring an additional 3,714 shares during the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CRL. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Baird R W lowered shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup downgraded Charles River Laboratories International from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $215.00 to $175.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. CLSA downgraded Charles River Laboratories International from a "hold" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $164.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Bank of America cut Charles River Laboratories International from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $250.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $214.38.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:CRL traded down $0.53 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $199.06. 287,759 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 780,522. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $176.48 and a 12 month high of $275.00. The company has a market cap of $10.18 billion, a PE ratio of 24.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.13 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $194.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $204.75.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical research company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $975.99 million. Charles River Laboratories International had a return on equity of 14.29% and a net margin of 10.44%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.72 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 10.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Charles River Laboratories International announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, August 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical research company to reacquire up to 9.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Charles River Laboratories International

In other Charles River Laboratories International news, Director Richard F. Wallman sold 6,621 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.12, for a total value of $1,430,930.52. Following the transaction, the director now owns 12,386 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,676,862.32. The trade was a 34.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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).