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

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) was the target of a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,260,000 shares, an increase of 5.6% from the December 31st 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.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Performance

Shares of CRL opened at $161.72 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $8.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.24, a PEG ratio of 6.25 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.48. Charles River Laboratories International has a twelve month low of $159.65 and a twelve month high of $275.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $183.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $194.86.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical research company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.16. Charles River Laboratories International had a return on equity of 14.29% and a net margin of 10.44%. The firm had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $975.99 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.72 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Charles River Laboratories International will post 10.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Charles River Laboratories International

In other Charles River Laboratories International news, Director Richard F. Wallman sold 6,621 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now directly owns 12,386 shares in the company, valued at $2,676,862.32. This represents a 34.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Olympiad Research LP acquired a new position in Charles River Laboratories International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $267,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International during the fourth quarter worth $1,751,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 12,437 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,296,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 1,871.2% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 35,659 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $6,583,000 after acquiring an additional 33,850 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 170.2% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,367 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $806,000 after purchasing an additional 2,751 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CRL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $151.00 target price on the stock. CLSA cut shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $164.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America decreased their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Charles River Laboratories International from $215.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Charles River Laboratories International has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $202.08.

Charles River Laboratories International Company Profile

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).