Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for CRL Earnings

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) – Research analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q4 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research report issued on Monday, October 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the medical research company will earn $3.15 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $3.13. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Charles River Laboratories International’s current full-year earnings is $11.36 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Charles River Laboratories International’s Q1 2027 earnings at $2.57 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $3.42 EPS.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $1 billion during 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%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.12 earnings per share. Charles River Laboratories International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.150-11.450 EPS.

CRL has been the subject of several other research reports. CLSA cut Charles River Laboratories International from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $219.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, July 20th. Argus set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $250.00 target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $282.00 to $322.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Evercore set a $330.00 price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $300.11.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Performance

NYSE CRL opened at $300.21 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $281.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $221.18. Charles River Laboratories International has a twelve month low of $146.20 and a twelve month high of $333.30. The company has a market capitalization of $14.33 billion, a PE ratio of -61.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Insider Activity at Charles River Laboratories International

In other news, Director James C. Foster sold 33,561 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the director directly owned 31,596 shares in the company, valued at $9,478,800. This trade represents a 51.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Nancy C. Andrews sold 573 shares of Charles River Laboratories International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.24, for a total value of $163,442.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,438 shares in the company, valued at $410,175.12. This represents a 28.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 91,971 shares of company stock valued at $26,033,968 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 13.2% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,183 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $495,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 26.5% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 6,371 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,445,000 after acquiring an additional 1,334 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the 2nd quarter valued at $172,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 32.6% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,236 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $961,000 after acquiring an additional 1,041 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 959.9% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 13,863 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,144,000 after acquiring an additional 12,555 shares in the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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 made modest upward revisions to several quarterly estimates and maintained a “Strong-Buy” rating. Zacks Research earnings forecast
• Positive Sentiment: UBS upgraded CRL to Strong Buy, providing additional institutional support after the company’s substantial 12-month advance. UBS upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Operational momentum remains a key bullish theme. Recent coverage points to improving Research Models and Services trends, expanding AI-enabled testing, healthy cash flow, and the ability to fund share buybacks and investment. Charles River rally analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Charles River and Autolomous launched Apollo Orchestrate, a digital laboratory-execution solution integrated within Charles River’s Apollo platform. The initiative could strengthen the company’s technology offering and improve laboratory efficiency. Apollo Orchestrate launch
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks comparison examines whether CRL or Progyny offers the more attractive value opportunity. The article may influence valuation-focused investors, but the headline does not disclose a definitive preference. PGNY versus CRL value analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and recent gains may be limiting near-term upside. With CRL near its 12-month high after a powerful rally, investors may be taking profits while awaiting further earnings confirmation. The company’s latest reported revenue declined 2.7% year over year, adding a reason for caution despite earnings beating estimates.

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.