Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Acquires 39,972 Shares of Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its stake in Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) by 439.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 49,066 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 39,972 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Charles River Laboratories International were worth $9,058,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CRL. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 1,071.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 164 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 52.0% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Charles River Laboratories International by 311.5% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 251 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new position in Charles River Laboratories International in the fourth quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 77.7% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 263 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.91% of the company’s stock.

Charles River Laboratories International Trading Up 1.6 %

CRL opened at $105.89 on Friday. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $91.86 and a twelve month high of $254.15. The firm has a market cap of $5.20 billion, a PE ratio of 705.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.41. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $151.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $173.87.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.16. Charles River Laboratories International had a return on equity of 14.69% and a net margin of 0.52%. The firm had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $983.63 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.46 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reduced their target price on Charles River Laboratories International from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on 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. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $177.00 to $173.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. William Blair lowered shares of Charles River Laboratories International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set 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 analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $182.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charles River Laboratories International

In related news, EVP Joseph W. Laplume sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.50, for a total transaction of $715,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,013 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,252,112.50. This trade represents a 18.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Birgit Girshick bought 1,514 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $164.63 per share, for a total transaction of $249,249.82. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer now directly owns 55,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,064,198.54. This represents a 2.83 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Charles River Laboratories International 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).