Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) Short Interest Up 5.6% in December

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,260,000 shares, a growth of 5.6% from the December 15th total of 2,140,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 667,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CRL shares. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $190.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Charles River Laboratories International from $203.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup downgraded Charles River Laboratories International from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $215.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, CLSA cut Charles River Laboratories International from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $209.00.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Performance

Shares of CRL traded down $2.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $163.77. 1,146,633 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 480,849. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market cap of $8.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.62 and a beta of 1.38. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $190.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $198.40. Charles River Laboratories International has a 52 week low of $160.85 and a 52 week high of $275.00.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical research company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $975.99 million. Charles River Laboratories International had a return on equity of 14.29% and a net margin of 10.44%. The company’s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.72 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Charles River Laboratories International will post 10.18 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charles River Laboratories International

In other news, Director Richard F. Wallman sold 6,621 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.12, for a total value of $1,430,930.52. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 12,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,676,862.32. This represents a 34.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 1,071.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 164 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new position in Charles River Laboratories International during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 52.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 1,153.3% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 188 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the 4th quarter valued at $56,000. Institutional investors 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).