Insider Buying: Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) CEO Buys 6,075 Shares of Stock

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) CEO James C. Foster acquired 6,075 shares of Charles River Laboratories International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $165.01 per share, for a total transaction of $1,002,435.75. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 183,639 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,302,271.39. This represents a 3.42 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Charles River Laboratories International Price Performance

CRL stock opened at $163.11 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.79 and a 52-week high of $275.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $172.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.09. The company has a market capitalization of $8.34 billion, a PE ratio of 1,087.39, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.37.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The medical research company reported $2.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.16. Charles River Laboratories International had a return on equity of 14.69% and a net margin of 0.52%. The company had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $983.63 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.46 EPS. Charles River Laboratories International’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 977,073 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $180,368,000 after acquiring an additional 5,805 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 30.3% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,565 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $289,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Montchanin Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $258,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $227,000. Finally, GTS Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 33.1% in the 4th quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 2,151 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $397,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares during the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CRL shares. CLSA lowered 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Charles River Laboratories International from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Barclays reduced their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $205.00 to $166.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $177.00 to $173.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $195.71.

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).