Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) Given Consensus Rating of "Reduce" by Analysts

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Reduce" from the fifteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $209.00.

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. CLSA initiated coverage on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $167.00 price target on the stock. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They set a "sell" rating and a $151.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $270.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Charles River Laboratories International from $290.00 to $240.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Charles River Laboratories International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th.

Institutional Trading of Charles River Laboratories International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CRL. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 40.7% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,760,781 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $346,821,000 after buying an additional 509,163 shares in the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 2,733.4% in the first quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 247,501 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $67,060,000 after purchasing an additional 238,766 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 24.6% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 825,905 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $170,615,000 after purchasing an additional 163,056 shares during the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Charles River Laboratories International during the second quarter valued at $33,053,000. Finally, Earnest Partners LLC lifted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 12.4% during the second quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,004,486 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $207,507,000 after purchasing an additional 110,725 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.91% of the company's stock.

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of CRL stock traded down $2.61 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $181.39. The stock had a trading volume of 792,289 shares, compared to its average volume of 602,513. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.37 billion, a PE ratio of 21.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 1.36. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $194.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $210.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Charles River Laboratories International has a 52-week low of $161.65 and a 52-week high of $275.00.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The medical research company reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.41. Charles River Laboratories International had a return on equity of 14.96% and a net margin of 10.83%. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. Equities analysts expect that Charles River Laboratories International will post 10.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Charles River Laboratories International declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, August 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical research company to purchase up to 9.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Charles River Laboratories International Company 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).