Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (CRL)
Health Care · Life Sciences Tools & Services · US stock · S&P 500 component
$339.66
▼ -5.21 (1.51%)
Fair valueOvervalued
$263 −22.6% to fair value
$131fair band $224–$319$394
Day's range
$337.78 – $351.21
52-week range
$146.20 – $351.21
About Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.
Charles River Laboratories supports drug development with research models, preclinical services and manufacturing support. It breeds laboratory research animals, carries out discovery and safety assessment studies for drug candidates, and supplies testing and related services for the manufacture of biologic products. Customers are pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, along with academic and government researchers. The business is organised into groups for research models, discovery and safety assessment, and manufacturing solutions.
Revenue of $4.0 billion over the last twelve months comes from research models and from fees for contract research and testing work. Revenue has grown at 0.3% a year across the last three years. The operating margin is 2.3%, the business earns 1% on the capital invested in it, and net debt is 6.3 times EBITDA. No dividend is paid. On the site's X-Ray Score it receives 20 out of 100.
Price chart
52-wk range $146.20 – $351.21Volume 2,662,266Daily, split-adjusted
Vitals
Market cap$16.3B
52-week range$146.20 – $351.21
Volume (last day)2,662,266
P/E (TTM)–
EBIT / EV yield0.5%
Free-cash-flow yield2.3%
Dividend yieldNo dividend
Revenue (TTM)$4.0B
Net income (TTM)−$238M
Operating margin2.3%
Return on capital1.4%
Debt incl. leases$2.6B
Cash & securities$192M
Debt = borrowings plus lease liabilities. Cash & securities = cash, equivalents and short-term marketable securities (long-term securities are not counted, so net cash can be understated for companies that hold large long-term investments). Net debt = debt minus cash & securities. Source: latest SEC 10-Q/10-K. EBIT / EV yield = operating profit divided by market cap plus net debt.
Fair value estimate
$263middle half of models $225 – $265
Overvalued
−22.6% to fair value
Average of the 9 valuation models that pass our checks: multiples, discounted cash flow, dividend discount and earnings power value. A model more than 100% above or 60% below the price is left out as unrealistic. Model uncertainty is Medium, based on how far apart the models are. Undervalued or Overvalued means the gap to fair value is more than 17.5%.
Price $340
Undervalued < $224Fair $224 – $319Overvalued > $319
P/B multiple
$262
P/S multiple
$374
EV/EBITDA multiple
$264
EV/EBIT multiple
$142
EV/revenue multiple
$360
10-year DCF, EBITDA exit
$225
5-year DCF, EBITDA exit
$254
10-year DCF, revenue exit
$219
5-year DCF, revenue exit
$265
Earnings power value · not used
$48
A model estimate, not a price target or recommendation. Inputs: risk-free 5.13%, equity risk premium 4.30% (Damodaran). How it works.
What this means
Weak business, priced high
Our models put fair value below today's price, so a lot of good news may already be in the price. A high score does not guarantee a good outcome; it shifts the odds a little. Use the checklist as a prompt for your own research.
Before you invest · decision checklist
Ticked boxes are filled in from our data; the rest are yours to answer.
The five-lens scan
Every score explained in one sentence, ranked against Health Care peers. Open a lens to see the numbers behind it.
Strong: 70 to 100Fair: 50 to 69Weak: under 50No score: not enough data
Valuation
Weak
8/100
Expensive against its sector on earnings and cash flow.
See the numbers →
EBIT / EV yield0.5%
Free-cash-flow yield2.3%
Fair value vs price0.8×
Growth
Weak
23/100
Growing slower than most of its sector.
See the numbers →
Revenue growth (3y)0.3%
Growth consistency20%
Profitability
Weak
33/100
Earns lower returns on its capital than most peers.
See the numbers →
Return on invested capital1.4%
Operating margin2.3%
Financial health
Weak
14/100
Balance sheet is more stretched than most peers.
See the numbers →
Piotroski F-Score4 / 9
Net debt / EBITDA6.3×
Interest cover0.8×
Dividends
None
–/100
Pays no dividend.
See the numbers →
Quarterly results: last 6 quarters
-2.7%
Mar '25
+0.6%
Jun '25
-0.5%
Sep '25
-0.8%
Dec '25
+1.2%
Mar '26
-2.7%
Jun '26
Revenue against the same quarter a year earlier. Latest quarter revenue $1.0B, diluted EPS $-0.03.
Compare with peers
MTD Mettler Toledo Interna...47 TECH BIO-TECHNE Corp45 IQV Iqvia Holdings Inc.43 A Agilent Technologies,...40Other Life Sciences Tools & Services companies by X-Ray Score.
SWOT analysis: Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.
Strengthsinside the company
- No standout strength in the figures we track.
Weaknessesinside the company
- Return on invested capital is only 1.4% (median 9.1% for industry peers), so the business earns little above its cost of capital.
- Operating margin of 2.3% is thin against 20.0% for industry peers.
- Net debt is 6.3x EBITDA, above the 3x level that lenders usually watch.
- Operating profit covers interest only 0.8x.
Opportunitiesvaluation and setting
- Price momentum is strong on the weekly and monthly signals (trends can reverse).
Threatsvaluation and setting
- Heavy debt makes profits sensitive to interest rates and refinancing conditions.
- The price is 23% above our fair value estimate, so there is little room for disappointment.
Written by fixed rules from the figures on this page and the peer table below: filings, our fair value, the sector climate and the price trend. It summarises the data, it is not a forecast or advice.
Compare CRL with peers and sector
Medians of 8 Life Sciences Tools & Services peers and of 59 Health Care stocks in our universe.
Largest peers (X-Ray Score): TMO 34, DHR 30, A 40, IQV 43, WAT 33, ILMN 39.
| Metric | CRL | Peers | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| X-Ray Score (out of 100) | 20 | 40 | 49 |
| Valuation | 8 | 28 | 55 |
| Growth | 23 | 30 | 48 |
| Profitability | 33 | 49 | 51 |
| Financial health | 14 | 45 | 48 |
| Dividends | – | 45 | 51 |
Sector leaders: highest X-Ray Score in Health Care
CRL ranks #59 of 60 in Health Care and #9 of 9 in Life Sciences Tools & Services by X-Ray Score. A higher score is stronger on our five pillars; it is a ranking of facts, not a forecast.
Green means better than the peer median, red worse (only where a higher or lower figure is clearly better). A dash means too few companies report the figure. P/E, EV/EBITDA and price changes are not graded: a different level is not good or bad by itself.
Factor ratings for CRL
Each factor is rated by where CRL stands among the 60 Health Care stocks in our universe.
Rating against the sector
Goodthe top third of these stocks
Averagethe middle third of these stocks
Badthe bottom third of these stocks
"Beats" is the share of those stocks it is ahead of.
Against its own history
The last columns set today's figure against the company's own median of its last five financial years:
▲ Betterbetter than its usual level
▼ Worseworse than its usual level
≈ In linewithin its usual range
For valuation factors Good means cheaper than most of the sector and Better means cheaper than usual for this company, which is not the same as a bargain.
In total: 2 Good · 4 Average · 12 Bad of 18
Growth: 0 · 0 · 2
Profitability: 0 · 0 · 4
Financial strength: 0 · 1 · 3
Valuation: 0 · 2 · 2
Cash flow: 2 · 0 · 1
Efficiency: 0 · 1 · 0
| Factor | CRL | Rating | Sector median | Own 5-year median | Against own history |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growth | |||||
| Revenue growth, 3 years a year | +0.3% | Bad beats 14% | +5.5% | – | – |
| Revenue growth, last year | −0.9% | Bad beats 6% | +7.1% | +3.9% | ▼ Worse |
| Profitability | |||||
| Operating margin | 2.3% | Bad beats 18% | 16.4% | 14.9% | ▼ Worse |
| Net margin | -6.0% | Bad beats 6% | 11.1% | 11.0% | ▼ Worse |
| Return on invested capital | 1.4% | Bad beats 11% | 12.2% | – | – |
| Return on equity | -8.4% | Bad beats 8% | 13.7% | 13.2% | ▼ Worse |
| Financial strength | |||||
| Net debt / EBITDA | 6.3x | Bad beats 3% | 2.0x | 2.8x | ▼ Worse |
| Interest cover | 0.8x | Bad beats 8% | 9.4x | 4.5x | ▼ Worse |
| Current ratio | 1.35 | Average beats 39% | 1.52 | 1.32 | ≈ In line |
| Piotroski F-score | 4 / 9 | Bad beats 10% | 6 / 9 | – | – |
| Valuation | |||||
| Price / book | 5.7x | Average beats 37% | 3.7x | 3.4x | ▼ Worse |
| Price / sales | 4.1x | Average beats 44% | 3.7x | 2.8x | ▼ Worse |
| EV / EBITDA | 48.3x | Bad beats 4% | 17.6x | 19.8x | ▼ Worse |
| Free cash flow yield | 2.3% | Bad beats 11% | 4.4% | 3.0% | ≈ In line |
| Cash flow | |||||
| Free cash flow margin | 9.3% | Bad beats 25% | 16.3% | 12.4% | ▼ Worse |
| Free cash flow growth, 3 years a year | +20.7% | Good beats 72% | +4.3% | – | – |
| Accruals (lower is better) | −10.9% | Good beats 88% | −3.9% | – | – |
| Efficiency | |||||
| Days sales outstanding | 65 days | Average beats 44% | 62 days | 66 days | ≈ In line |
These ratings compare companies with each other and describe the past; they are not a forecast, a recommendation or part of the X-Ray Score. A factor is left out when its data is missing or meaningless (for example a P/E on negative earnings). A dash in the history columns means fewer than three usable years.
Fundamentals checklist
● 2 Good · ● 1 Average · ● 11 BadCash quality
Earnings backed by cashGood
Free-cash-flow yieldBad
Risk models
Altman Z''Bad
Piotroski F-ScoreBad
Growth
Free-cash-flow growth (3y)Good
Revenue growth (3y)Bad
Growth consistencyBad
Balance sheet
Current ratioAverage
Net debt / EBITDABad
Interest coverBad
Valuation
Fair value vs priceBad
EBIT / EV yieldBad
Profitability
Return on invested capitalBad
Operating marginBad
Each check is graded against the company's sector, not a fixed number. Checklist score 23/100.
Financials
| FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $3.5B | $4.0B | $4.1B | $4.0B | $4.0B |
| Operating income | $590M | $651M | $617M | $227M | $25M |
| Net income | $391M | $486M | $475M | $22M | −$144M |
| Operating cash flow | $761M | $620M | $684M | $735M | $738M |
| Operating margin | 16.7% | 16.4% | 14.9% | 5.6% | 0.6% |
| Free cash flow | $532M | $295M | $365M | $502M | $518M |
| Diluted EPS | $7.60 | $9.48 | $9.22 | $0.20 | $-2.91 |
Fiscal years, from SEC filings.
Technical summary
Daily
Bullish
12 bullish · 0 neutral · 4 bearish
Weekly
Strongly bullish
11 bullish · 0 neutral · 1 bearish
Monthly
Strongly bullish
7 bullish · 0 neutral · 1 bearish
Moving averages (daily)
| SMA 10 | 311.1 | Bullish |
| EMA 10 | 315.9 | Bullish |
| SMA 20 | 304.0 | Bullish |
| EMA 20 | 306.3 | Bullish |
| SMA 50 | 292.7 | Bullish |
| EMA 50 | 288.4 | Bullish |
| SMA 100 | 256.2 | Bullish |
| EMA 100 | 262.9 | Bullish |
| SMA 200 | 217.5 | Bullish |
| EMA 200 | 233.0 | Bullish |
Oscillators (daily)
| RSI (14) | 71.45 | Bearish |
| MACD (12, 26) | 10.98 | Bullish |
| Momentum (12) | 11.38 | Bullish |
| Stochastic %K (14) | 81.60 | Bearish |
| Williams %R (14) | -18.40 | Bearish |
| CCI (20) | 285.6 | Bearish |
Pivot points (classic, last session)
S3 321.1 | S2 329.5 | S1 334.6 | Pivot 342.9 | R1 348.0 | R2 356.3 | R3 361.4 |
Signals describe what the chart is doing, not what to do. Moving averages: price above the average is bullish. Oscillators use the usual thresholds (RSI 30/70, Stochastic 20/80, CCI ±100, Williams %R −80/−20; MACD and momentum above zero are bullish). Weekly and monthly views use closing prices only.
ETFs that hold CRL
| ETF | Share of the fund |
|---|---|
| IBB iShares Biotechnology | 0.84% |
| SPHB Invesco S&P 500 High Beta | 0.80% |
| TMSL T. Rowe Price Small-Mid Cap | 0.47% |
| FFSM Fidelity Fundamental Small-Mid Cap | 0.40% |
| DFAT DFA Investment Dimensions Group Inc. | 0.34% |
| RSP Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight | 0.24% |
| VBR Vanguard Small-Cap Value | 0.23% |
| DFAS DFA Investment Dimensions Group Inc. | 0.22% |
The eight funds with the largest weight in CRL among the ETFs we cover, from each fund's latest SEC Form N-PORT (quarter-end positions, so they can be months old). All ETFs.
CRL SEC filings
8-KSEC EDGAR
Regulation FD disclosure
10-QSEC EDGAR
Quarterly report
8-KSEC EDGAR
Results of operations
8-KSEC EDGAR
Director or officer change; Shareholder vote results
10-QSEC EDGAR
Quarterly report
8-KSEC EDGAR
Results of operations
DEF 14ASEC EDGAR
Proxy statement
8-KSEC EDGAR
Regulation FD disclosure
Where the numbers come from
Statements SEC EDGAR filings (10-K, 10-Q), quarters derived from year-to-date figures.
Prices end-of-day closes, split-adjusted.
Industry inputs beta, multiples and equity risk premium from Damodaran Online (NYU Stern).
StocksXray is for education only and is not financial advice. Scores and fair values are model estimates from public filings and carry uncertainty.