Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) Shares Sold by Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC

Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC reduced its position in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Free Report) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,805,541 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 134,284 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC owned 3.53% of Charles River Laboratories International worth $333,303,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $98,886,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,076,426 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $752,508,000 after purchasing an additional 335,658 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Charles River Laboratories International during the fourth quarter valued at $42,776,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,034,180 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $190,910,000 after purchasing an additional 151,159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 25.8% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 663,504 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $122,482,000 after purchasing an additional 135,986 shares during the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Up 6.2 %

Shares of Charles River Laboratories International stock traded up $6.78 on Thursday, hitting $115.78. 2,633,459 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 915,839. 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 $5.69 billion, a PE ratio of 771.87, a PEG ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.45. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $148.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $172.24. 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 earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The medical research company reported $2.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $983.63 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.46 EPS. Charles River Laboratories International's revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CRL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $175.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Charles River Laboratories International from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup upgraded Charles River Laboratories International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $175.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Charles River Laboratories International from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $190.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, William Blair lowered shares of Charles River Laboratories International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Charles River Laboratories International has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $182.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,013 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,252,112.50. The trade was a 18.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO James C. Foster acquired 6,075 shares of Charles River Laboratories International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $165.01 per share, with a total value of $1,002,435.75. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 183,639 shares in the company, valued at $30,302,271.39. This represents a 3.42 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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).