Prudential Financial Inc. Lowers Holdings in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)

Prudential Financial Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) by 13.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,296 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 4,554 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in Charles River Laboratories International were worth $5,285,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 65.9% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 4,891 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $963,000 after buying an additional 1,943 shares during the period. Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 1,210 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $238,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 4.5% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 9,812 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,933,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 15.1% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 2,282 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $449,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 256.5% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,451 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 1,044 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on CRL shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $220.00 to $184.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of 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. Barclays decreased their price objective on Charles River Laboratories International from $205.00 to $166.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Citigroup upgraded Charles River Laboratories International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $185.00 price target (down from $250.00) on shares of Charles River Laboratories International in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $189.77.

Insider Transactions at Charles River Laboratories International

In related news, CEO James C. Foster purchased 6,075 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $165.01 per share, with a total value of $1,002,435.75. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 183,639 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,302,271.39. The trade was a 3.42 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 4,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $3,252,112.50. The trade was a 18.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Performance

CRL opened at $150.58 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $146.64 and a 12-month high of $273.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $164.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $182.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.70 billion, a PE ratio of 1,003.89, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.45.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The medical research company reported $2.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $983.63 million. Charles River Laboratories International had a net margin of 0.52% and a return on equity of 14.69%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.46 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

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).