Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research firms have also commented on CRL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $180.00 to $310.00 in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $305.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 5th. Zacks Research cut shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, Evercore set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $308.17.

Charles River Laboratories International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CRL opened at $354.45 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.92 billion, a PE ratio of 389.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $306.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $225.82. Charles River Laboratories International has a fifty-two week low of $146.20 and a fifty-two week high of $379.63.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The medical research company reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.12. Charles River Laboratories International had a return on equity of 16.95% and a net margin of 1.01%. The company had revenue of $982.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $960.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.43 earnings per share. Charles River Laboratories International’s revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Charles River Laboratories International will post 11.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charles River Laboratories International

In other Charles River Laboratories International news, Director James C. 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 transaction of $10,068,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 31,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,478,800. The trade was a 51.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Shannon Parisotto sold 2,156 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $344.41, for a total value of $742,547.96. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,655,578.87. The trade was a 30.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 63,352 shares of company stock worth $20,291,281 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Aberdeen Group plc boosted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 483.6% in the third quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 792,576 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $233,818,000 after buying an additional 656,777 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 175.2% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 773,315 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $133,397,000 after buying an additional 492,301 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 457.3% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 436,055 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $128,641,000 after buying an additional 357,817 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S increased its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 308,855.0% during the third quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 308,955 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $91,145,000 after buying an additional 308,855 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 14.6% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,652,484 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $285,001,000 after buying an additional 210,260 shares in the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Charles River Laboratories International Company Profile

Charles River Laboratories International is a contract research organization that supports pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as academic and government researchers, in developing medicines and advancing scientific research. Its services span the drug development process, from early discovery and preclinical research to manufacturing support.

The company’s offerings include research models and related services, drug discovery and safety assessment, and manufacturing solutions.