Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Increases Stock Holdings in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado raised its position in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) by 10.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 52,255 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,932 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in Charles River Laboratories International were worth $14,158,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $101,319,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 499.1% in the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 368,984 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $87,228,000 after buying an additional 307,398 shares during the period. Meritage Group LP grew its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 30.8% in the fourth quarter. Meritage Group LP now owns 1,155,376 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $273,131,000 after acquiring an additional 271,743 shares in the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 2,733.4% during the first quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 247,501 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $67,060,000 after acquiring an additional 238,766 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 5,003.9% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 215,639 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $50,977,000 after acquiring an additional 211,414 shares in the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Charles River Laboratories International Price Performance

Shares of CRL opened at $237.92 on Tuesday. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $161.65 and a 1-year high of $275.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.37. The stock has a market cap of $12.26 billion, a PE ratio of 27.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.38. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $213.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $230.50.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The medical research company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $997.24 million. Charles River Laboratories International had a return on equity of 15.16% and a net margin of 10.81%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 10.99 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Charles River Laboratories International

In other Charles River Laboratories International news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 1,304 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.97, for a total transaction of $295,968.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,282,953.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $271.00 to $239.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. StockNews.com downgraded Charles River Laboratories International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $230.00 target price on the stock. Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Friday, June 28th. Finally, Mizuho started coverage on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a report on Friday, June 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $235.00 price objective on the stock. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $252.29.

About Charles River Laboratories International

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).