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

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) saw a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 4,594,794 shares, an increase of 22.3% from the March 15th total of 3,756,012 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 861,926 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.3 days. Currently, 9.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cardinal Capital Management boosted its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 10,928 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,180,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 1,847 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $375,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 793 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $124,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 6,316 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,260,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 3,226 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $505,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Up 4.2%

NYSE:CRL traded up $7.45 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $184.39. 744,855 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 834,833. Charles River Laboratories International has a fifty-two week low of $99.80 and a fifty-two week high of $228.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.10 billion, a P/E ratio of -62.29, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $168.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $182.83.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $994.23 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $986.98 million. Charles River Laboratories International had a negative net margin of 3.59% and a positive return on equity of 15.60%. The company’s revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.66 EPS. Charles River Laboratories International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.700-11.200 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Charles River Laboratories International will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CRL shares. 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 objective for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird set a $193.00 price target on Charles River Laboratories International in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price objective on 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. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.36.

About Charles River Laboratories International

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.