Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 4,594,794 shares, a growth of 22.3% from the March 15th total of 3,756,012 shares. Approximately 9.4% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 861,926 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.3 days.

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of CRL traded down $3.76 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $176.80. 825,778 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 964,746. Charles River Laboratories International has a 52-week low of $99.80 and a 52-week high of $228.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.29. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $168.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $182.61. The firm has a market cap of $8.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -59.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.61.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The medical research company reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.33 by $0.06. Charles River Laboratories International had a positive return on equity of 15.60% and a negative net margin of 3.59%.The firm had revenue of $994.23 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $986.98 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.66 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Charles River Laboratories International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.700-11.200 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Charles River Laboratories International will post 9.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on CRL. Wall Street Zen downgraded Charles River Laboratories International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $251.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target for the company. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.36.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,887,175 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,174,374,000 after buying an additional 47,432 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 115.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,696,150 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $537,828,000 after buying an additional 1,446,972 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,871,688 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $373,364,000 after acquiring an additional 40,535 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,442,224 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $287,703,000 after acquiring an additional 311,319 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,276,502 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $254,186,000 after acquiring an additional 9,756 shares during the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Charles River Laboratories International Company Profile

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.