Analysts Set Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) Price Target at $189.77

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) has earned an average rating of “Reduce” from the sixteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and fifteen have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $189.77.

CRL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. William Blair cut shares of Charles River Laboratories International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on 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. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $188.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th.

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Down 3.2 %

CRL stock opened at $150.58 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $7.70 billion, a PE ratio of 1,003.89, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.45. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $164.43 and its 200 day moving average is $182.29. Charles River Laboratories International has a 12 month low of $146.64 and a 12 month high of $273.32.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The medical research company reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.16. Charles River Laboratories International had a net margin of 0.52% and a return on equity of 14.69%. The business had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $983.63 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.46 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Charles River Laboratories International will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Charles River Laboratories International

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 1,665 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 2,001 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $394,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,940 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 1,720 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.91% of the company’s stock.

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).