Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) Hits New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The company traded as high as $305.14 and last traded at $305.0610, with a volume of 465342 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $290.19.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Barclays lifted their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $291.00 to $334.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Argus set a $330.00 price target on Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $250.00 price objective on Charles River Laboratories International in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $300.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Birgit Girshick sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.90, for a total transaction of $1,819,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 36,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,080,038.70. This trade represents a 15.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director James Foster sold 33,561 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $10,068,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 31,596 shares in the company, valued at $9,478,800. This represents a 51.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 90,990 shares of company stock worth $25,731,388 in the last three months. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Charles River Laboratories International News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Charles River Laboratories International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised earnings forecasts: Zacks Research increased its FY2026 EPS estimate to $11.17 from $11.15, FY2027 to $12.54 from $12.49, and FY2028 to $13.92 from $13.82. It also raised several quarterly estimates by $0.01-$0.02 and maintained a “Strong-Buy” rating, signaling improving expectations for Charles River’s earnings outlook. Zacks Research earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: UBS upgraded the stock: The brokerage reportedly raised Charles River Laboratories to “Strong Buy,” potentially adding institutional support and reinforcing the bullish analyst view. UBS upgrades Charles River Laboratories to Strong Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Digital laboratory partnership announced: Charles River and Autolomous launched Apollo Orchestrate within Charles River’s Apollo platform, aiming to improve laboratory execution and workflow automation. The initiative could strengthen the company’s technology offering and support longer-term growth. Charles River and Autolomous launch Apollo Orchestrate
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent rally may be prompting profit-taking: CRL recently gained 5.6% during a broad market rally and reached a new 52-week high. That momentum is supportive, but investors may be locking in gains, contributing to near-term weakness. Charles River Laboratories gains in broad rally
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamental concerns remain: The company’s latest reported revenue declined 2.7% year over year, while its valuation remains elevated after the sharp advance. Those factors may be limiting enthusiasm despite the favorable analyst revisions.

Institutional Trading of Charles River Laboratories International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the second quarter valued at $30,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International during the 4th quarter worth about $85,000. Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Charles River Laboratories International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $129,000. Hilltop National Bank raised its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 28.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 569 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $129,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Charles River Laboratories International in the second quarter worth about $172,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.91% of the company’s stock.

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Down 1.6%

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $280.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $220.15. The firm has a market cap of $14.61 billion, a P/E ratio of -63.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The medical research company reported $3.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $980.53 million. Charles River Laboratories International had a positive return on equity of 15.75% and a negative net margin of 5.96%.Charles River Laboratories International’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.12 EPS. Charles River Laboratories International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 11.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Charles River Laboratories International Company Profile

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc is a contract research organization that provides products and services to support pharmaceutical, biotechnology and academic research. The company helps customers discover, develop and manufacture new medicines, vaccines and other healthcare products.

Its offerings include research models and related services, preclinical drug discovery, pharmacology, toxicology, bioanalysis and safety assessment. Charles River also provides laboratory and manufacturing solutions for biologics, cell and gene therapies, microbial testing and other specialized life sciences applications.

Founded in 1947, Charles River Laboratories serves customers worldwide through operations across North America, Europe and Asia.