Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $158.53, but opened at $146.82. Charles River Laboratories International shares last traded at $152.3130, with a volume of 681,935 shares changing hands.

Key Stories Impacting Charles River Laboratories International

Here are the key news stories impacting Charles River Laboratories International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management issued FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $10.70–$11.20 and described improving demand for drug‑development services, a signal management expects recovery in biotech demand. Reuters: Charles River forecasts upbeat 2026 profit
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat consensus: EPS $2.39 vs. $2.33 estimate and revenue $994.2M vs. ~$987M estimate; management said margins improved vs. prior quarter. Zacks: Q4 earnings and revenues surpass estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and presentation/slides are available for investors who want management color on demand trends, margin drivers and the FY‑2026 outlook. Seeking Alpha: Q4 2025 earnings call transcript Seeking Alpha: Q4 presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Organic growth weakened across all segments and revenue was down ~0.8% YoY; EPS also fell from $2.66 a year ago to $2.39, which helps explain the negative market reaction despite the beat. Zacks: Key metrics on Q4 earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary notes the stock fell despite the beat — investors focused on weakening organic trends and mixed guidance range rather than the headline beat. Zacks: Stock down despite Q4 beat

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Charles River Laboratories International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Argus set a $200.00 price target on Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Monday, November 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $224.00 price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Evercore increased their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $209.46.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $7.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -100.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $202.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $179.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The medical research company reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.33 by $0.06. Charles River Laboratories International had a negative net margin of 2.07% and a positive return on equity of 15.78%. The business had revenue of $994.23 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $986.98 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.66 earnings per share. Charles River Laboratories International’s revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. Charles River Laboratories International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.700-11.200 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 0.8% during 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 period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,871,688 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $373,364,000 after acquiring an additional 40,535 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 27.5% during 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 period. Ariel Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 28.6% during the 2nd quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 1,415,348 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $214,751,000 after purchasing an additional 314,572 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised 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 worth $254,186,000 after purchasing an additional 9,756 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.91% of the company’s stock.

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.