CRL
Charles River Laboratories
$181.56
▼ 1.9%Updated Today 7:15 PM ET
▲ Up 27.3% over the last 12 months
Market Cap
$8.91B
P/E
—
Forward P/E (est.)
—
ROE
-5.7%
Revenue Growth
0.1%
EPS Growth
—
Profit Margin
-4.6%
FCF Yield
8.3%
Debt / Equity
0.68x
ROIC
0.0%
Interest Coverage
0.18x
Current Ratio
1.36x
Dividend Yield
—
Implied Growth (rev. DCF)
3.0%
Rating Score
30/100
Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what CRL's chart says today, with each tool explained.
Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. CRL trades near $181.56, above its 50-day average ($174.36) and 200-day average ($177.89). Price above both averages, with the shorter one above the longer, is the textbook definition of an uptrend — momentum favours buyers.
Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 51 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.
MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.
Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. CRL's is $7.58 (~4.2% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.
Support & resistance. Over the last month CRL found buyers near $147.51 (support) and sellers near $193.81 (resistance); its 52-week range is $143.06–$228.88. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.
Volume. The latest session traded 1.3× the 20-day average — about normal. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.
Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.
Charles River Laboratories (CRL) is a mid-cap company in the Life Sciences Tools & Services industry, part of the Health Care sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $8.91B.
In its latest reported year it generated about $4.02B in revenue and posted a net loss of $144.34M.
Our model rates CRL Weak (30/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.
4Y CAGR
3.2%
Revenue moved from $3.54B in 2021 to $4.02B in 2025, a 3.2% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year was roughly flat (0.1%) year over year. Slower, mature growth is common for established businesses.
Gross Margin
34.5%
Operating Margin
0.6%
Net Margin
-3.6%
ROE
-5.7%
Charles River Laboratories keeps about -4.6% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 34.5% gross margin and 0.6% operating margin. Return on equity is -5.7% and return on invested capital about 0.0%. The company is currently unprofitable on a net basis.
Total Debt
$1.61B
Net Debt
$1.42B
Net Debt / EBITDA
56.38x
Debt / Equity
0.68x
Leverage: debt-to-equity is 0.7x, and operating profit covers interest about 0.2x, with a current ratio of 1.4x. That is a moderate, manageable debt load for most businesses. It carries roughly $1.61B of total debt against $191.83M of cash.
Operating CF
$737.65M
Free Cash Flow
$518.49M
FCF Margin
12.9%
In the latest year Charles River Laboratories produced about $737.65M of operating cash flow and $518.49M of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 8.3% on today's price. Strong cash generation funds dividends, buybacks, and reinvestment.
P/E
—
P/S
2.24x
P/B
3.16x
EV / EBITDA
24.08x
CRL trades at n/a trailing earnings, 2.2x sales, and 3.2x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 3.0% long-term free-cash-flow growth. With no positive trailing earnings, value it on sales, cash flow, or growth rather than P/E.
Where this stock sits versus what most companies trade at.
Typical ranges are general references (e.g., many stocks trade at ~18–26x earnings), not hard rules. Context only — not investment advice.
How CRL stacks up against its Health Care peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.
In the Health Care sector (59 S&P 500 companies), CRL ranks #55 of 59 by our overall rating.
P/E vs sector
—
median 25.4x
ROE vs sector
-5.7%
median 14.9%
Growth vs sector
0.1%
median 7.9%
Sector rank
#55
of 59 by rating
Valuation vs. quality map
The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.
Peers are the closest Health Care companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 59 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.
Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.
2030 price target (Base Case)
$34.79 – $57.98
vs. $181.56 today · expected CAGR -28% – -20%
| Metric | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $4.14B | $4.26B | $4.39B | $4.52B | $4.65B |
| Net income | $124.08M | $127.80M | $131.63M | $135.58M | $139.65M |
| EPS | $2.58 | $2.65 | $2.73 | $2.81 | $2.90 |
| Share price (low) | $30.91 | $31.84 | $32.79 | $33.78 | $34.79 |
| Share price (high) | $51.52 | $53.06 | $54.66 | $56.30 | $57.98 |
| CAGR (low–high) | -83% / -72% | -58% / -46% | -43% / -33% | -34% / -25% | -28% / -20% |
Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.
The case for CRL:
- Healthy free-cash-flow yield (~8.3%) funds buybacks and dividends.
- As an established S&P 500 member in Health Care, it brings scale and a long operating history.
The case against CRL:
- Revenue growth is slow (0.1%), limiting the upside engine.
- Thin net margins (-4.6%) leave little room for error.
- Interest coverage is thin (0.2x), so debt costs bite.
- Our model's overall read is Weak (30/100).
Growth risk — sluggish revenue (0.1%) leaves little margin for execution missteps.
Margin risk — thin profitability (-4.6%) is vulnerable to cost or pricing pressure.
Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.
On balance, the fundamentals screen weakly: Charles River Laboratories is a mid-cap health care business growing at a mature pace, with modest profitability, and a sound balance sheet. It trades at n/a earnings, which our model scores Weak (30/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.
Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.
Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.