Arizona State Retirement System Boosts Stake in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)

Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 14,995 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 237 shares during the quarter. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Charles River Laboratories International were worth $2,768,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CRL. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 1,071.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 164 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 1,153.3% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 188 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 52.0% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International during the 3rd quarter valued at $59,000. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Charles River Laboratories International during the 4th quarter worth $56,000. 98.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Up 4.1 %

NYSE:CRL opened at $176.20 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $185.63. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a one year low of $150.79 and a one year high of $274.77. The company has a market capitalization of $9.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,174.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.41.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on CRL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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 report on Thursday, February 20th. CLSA lowered Charles River Laboratories International from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, November 18th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $203.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $177.00 to $173.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $198.36.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charles River Laboratories International

In other news, CEO James C. Foster bought 6,075 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $165.01 per share, for a total transaction of $1,002,435.75. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 183,639 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,302,271.39. This trade represents a 3.42 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 4,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.50, for a total value of $715,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,252,112.50. This represents a 18.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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).