Mudita Advisors LLP Decreases Stock Position in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)

Mudita Advisors LLP cut its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) by 22.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,707 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 7,893 shares during the quarter. Charles River Laboratories International accounts for about 2.9% of Mudita Advisors LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Mudita Advisors LLP owned approximately 0.05% of Charles River Laboratories International worth $5,260,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CRL. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 200,314 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $41,381,000 after purchasing an additional 5,375 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 99.8% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 5,297 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,435,000 after purchasing an additional 2,646 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 135,175.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 5,411 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,118,000 after purchasing an additional 5,407 shares in the last quarter. New England Research & Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International during the second quarter valued at about $506,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 3.4% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 111,995 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $22,060,000 after buying an additional 3,714 shares in the last quarter. 98.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on CRL. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $290.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Charles River Laboratories International from $191.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 20th. Citigroup cut shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $215.00 to $175.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $230.00 to $210.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Charles River Laboratories International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $214.38.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Richard F. Wallman sold 6,621 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.12, for a total transaction of $1,430,930.52. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 12,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,676,862.32. The trade was a 34.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Charles River Laboratories International Price Performance

CRL opened at $197.75 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $194.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $205.44. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $176.48 and a 52-week high of $275.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.75, a P/E/G ratio of 5.19 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.48.

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical research company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $975.99 million. Charles River Laboratories International had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 14.29%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.72 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 10.19 EPS for the current year.

Charles River Laboratories International declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, August 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical research company to purchase up to 9.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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).