Natixis Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)

Natixis Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) by 6.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 78,439 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 5,704 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Charles River Laboratories International worth $14,480,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 1,665 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 52.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 3.4% in the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 2,001 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $394,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,940 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC grew its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 1,720 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $318,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.91% of the company’s stock.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Down 1.6 %

CRL stock opened at $174.03 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.90 billion, a PE ratio of 1,160.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.45. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $150.79 and a 52 week high of $274.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $166.93 and a 200 day moving average of $184.11.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The medical research company reported $2.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $983.63 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.46 EPS. Charles River Laboratories International’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charles River Laboratories International

In related news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 4,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.50, for a total transaction of $715,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,252,112.50. This trade represents a 18.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO James C. Foster acquired 6,075 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was bought 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 represents a 3.42 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CRL has been the subject of several recent research reports. William Blair lowered shares of Charles River Laboratories International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America lowered their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Charles River Laboratories International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $188.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Charles River Laboratories International from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $177.00 to $173.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $191.31.

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).