Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. Sells 14,756 Shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)

Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. lessened its position in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Free Report) by 88.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,984 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 14,756 shares during the quarter. Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Charles River Laboratories International were worth $366,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 1,071.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 164 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 52.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 311.5% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new stake in Charles River Laboratories International in the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 77.7% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 263 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.91% of the company's stock.

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Up 6.2 %

Shares of CRL stock traded up $6.78 on Thursday, hitting $115.78. The stock had a trading volume of 2,633,459 shares, compared to its average volume of 916,682. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $91.86 and a twelve month high of $254.15. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $147.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $171.73. The firm has a market cap of $5.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 771.87, a PEG ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.45.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The medical research company reported $2.66 EPS 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 company had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $983.63 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.46 earnings per share. Charles River Laboratories International's revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. William Blair downgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays reduced 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 report on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $185.00 price target (down from $250.00) on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $188.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Charles River Laboratories International presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $182.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.50, for a total value of $715,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,013 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,252,112.50. This represents a 18.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO James C. Foster acquired 6,075 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $165.01 per share, with a total value of $1,002,435.75. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 183,639 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,302,271.39. This trade represents a 3.42 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

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).