Royal Bank of Canada Trims Position in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. $CRL

Royal Bank of Canada cut its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) by 18.9% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 100,311 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 23,345 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Charles River Laboratories International were worth $17,303,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ranger Investment Management L.P. bought a new stake in Charles River Laboratories International during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $12,198,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 17.4% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 43,471 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $7,499,000 after purchasing an additional 6,444 shares during the period. Maverick Capital Ltd. purchased a new stake in Charles River Laboratories International during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,411,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 13.2% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 22,637 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,905,000 after buying an additional 2,644 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Castleark Management LLC raised its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 22.3% during the first quarter. Castleark Management LLC now owns 39,435 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $6,803,000 after buying an additional 7,190 shares during the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on CRL shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $215.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $250.00 price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Charles River Laboratories International from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $180.00 to $310.00 in a report on Thursday. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $192.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $244.19.

Insider Activity at Charles River Laboratories International

In related news, Director James C. Foster sold 75,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total transaction of $16,875,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 31,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,109,100. This trade represents a 70.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Shannon M. Parisotto sold 5,046 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.00, for a total value of $1,327,098.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,264,241. The trade was a 51.21% 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. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

More Charles River Laboratories International News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results exceeded expectations: Charles River reported adjusted earnings of $3.02 per share, above the $2.77 consensus estimate, while revenue of approximately $1.0 billion topped expectations of $977.2 million. The earnings beat came despite revenue declining 2.7% year over year. Charles River Q2 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year guidance was raised: Management now expects fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS of $11.15-$11.45, above the $11.09 consensus estimate, and revenue of roughly $3.9 billion versus Wall Street expectations of $3.8 billion. The company also raised its free-cash-flow forecast to $400 million-$420 million. Charles River 2026 outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Demand trends are improving: Charles River cited stronger biotech demand for its discovery and development services. Analysts highlighted improving organic revenue and order trends, strong backlog and book-to-bill performance in the Discovery and Safety Assessment segment, and anticipated margin benefits from divestitures and cost reductions. Charles River lifts profit forecast
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded CRL: JPMorgan moved its rating from “neutral” to “overweight” and raised its price target to $310 from $180, signaling greater confidence in the company’s recovery and earnings trajectory.
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive stock sale: EVP Shannon M. Parisotto sold 5,046 shares for approximately $1.33 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Although the sale reduced her direct holdings by more than half, the planned nature of the transaction makes it a limited near-term signal about management’s outlook. SEC insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying risks remain: Quarterly EPS fell from $3.12 a year earlier, revenue declined year over year, and the Resources Management Services segment continues to face weakness in the U.S. These issues could limit the durability of the rally if demand improvement slows.

Charles River Laboratories International Price Performance

Charles River Laboratories International stock opened at $265.73 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $213.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $188.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.80 billion, a PE ratio of -54.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.26 and a 12-month high of $268.00.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. Charles River Laboratories International had a negative net margin of 5.96% and a positive return on equity of 15.75%. The company had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $980.53 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.12 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Charles River Laboratories International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 11.23 EPS for the current year.

About Charles River Laboratories International

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc is a leading provider of research models and preclinical and clinical support services for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The company’s core offerings include discovery, safety assessment, toxicology, and pathology services, as well as supply of laboratory animals and related diagnostics. Services extend across in vivo and in vitro testing, biologics testing, and support for advanced therapies, helping clients accelerate drug development from early discovery through regulatory submission.

Founded in 1947 in Wilmington, Massachusetts, Charles River has grown through strategic investments and acquisitions to establish a broad portfolio of capabilities.