AQR Capital Management LLC Buys 21,235 Shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)

AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) by 51.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,253 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 21,235 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.12% of Charles River Laboratories International worth $12,860,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,046,467 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,638,290,000 after acquiring an additional 66,161 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 1.7% during the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 1,908,989 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $394,359,000 after purchasing an additional 31,359 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 3.1% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,513,138 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $409,985,000 after buying an additional 45,079 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 11.9% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,251,618 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $258,559,000 after buying an additional 132,802 shares during the period. Finally, Meritage Group LP lifted its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 2.3% in the first quarter. Meritage Group LP now owns 1,182,268 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $320,336,000 after buying an additional 26,892 shares during the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CRL. Barclays decreased their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $230.00 to $210.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Mizuho initiated 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. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $228.00 to $203.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $290.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $220.73.

Charles River Laboratories International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CRL opened at $194.09 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.00 billion, a PE ratio of 22.83, a P/E/G ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 1.36. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $161.65 and a fifty-two week high of $275.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $206.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $220.28.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The medical research company reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.41. Charles River Laboratories International had a net margin of 10.83% and a return on equity of 14.96%. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 10.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Charles River Laboratories International declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, August 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical research company to repurchase up to 9.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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).