Charles River Laboratories has delivered four consecutive earnings beats and trades at a forward price-to-earnings of 15x, but quality at 3.4 — below the 4.0 minimum floor — no competitive moat identified, near-zero headroom at 1.4% to the near-term price objective, and a reward-to-risk ratio of 0.2-to-1 that is deeply unfavorable combine to make exit the appropriate action rather than continued holding.
Thesis pillars
- Dsa Segment Concentration Risk↓Deteriorating
- Quality Below Exit Floor↓Deteriorating
- Narrowing Earnings Beat Streak↓Deteriorating
- +1 more pillar — see the Why tab for full reasoning
Pillars as of Jul 3, 2026, based on the 10-K filed Feb 18, 2026
Charles River Laboratories Inte (CRL) Stock Analysis
Healthcare · Diagnostics & Research
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $373.98: a dimension score below its floor triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.2/10. Specifically: Below-average business quality.
Charles River Laboratories provides non-clinical drug development services across three segments — Discovery and Safety Assessment (59.8% of 2025 revenue), Research Models and Services (21.1%), and Manufacturing Solutions (19.1%) — generating $4.0 billion in total revenue in... Read more
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $373.98: a dimension score below its floor triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.2/10. Specifically: Below-average business quality. Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Score 4.2/10, moderate confidence.
Passes 5/8 gates (positive momentum, clean insider activity, news events none recent, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on favorable risk/reward ratio and earnings proximity 6d<=7d. Suitability: aggressive.
Recent developments
updated 2026-10-29Recent Developments — Charles River Laboratories Inte
Latest news
- NEWS Charles River Laboratories Announces Use of Virtual Control Groups in GLP Study for Ipsen — fiscal.ai Oct 27, 2026 neutral
- NEWS Charles River Laboratories' Virtual Control Group Database And Methodology To Be Used In An Upcoming Good Laboratory Pra — benzinga Oct 27, 2026 neutral
- NEWS Charles River Laboratories International Insider Sells Shares — fiscal.ai Oct 26, 2026 negative
- NEWS Labcorp, Charles River, and FDA Announce Research Collaboration on Drug Abuse Potential — fiscal.ai Oct 22, 2026 positive
- NEWS Charles River Laboratories Announces Research Collaboration Agreement With FDA And Labcorp For Developing Sensitive Scre — benzinga Oct 22, 2026 positive
Generated 2026-10-29T11:08:50Z.
Upcoming dated catalysts
Thesis
Key Metrics
Quality Signals
Options Flow
Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)
- HIGHProductDSA segment60%10-K Item 1: 'our DSA segment represented 59.8% of our total revenue'
- MEDIUMSuppliernon-human primate supply10-K Item 1A: 'our non-human primate supply, are dependent on a limited source of supply that, when interrupted, adversely affects our business'
Material Events(8-K, last 90d)
- 2026-05-11Item 5.02LOWShareholders approved the 2026 Long-Term Incentive Plan at the May 5, 2026 annual meeting. Board of Directors had adopted the plan on March 11, 2026 subject to shareholder approval. No officer departure cited.SEC filing →
Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. How we score · Editorial policy
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Rating Breakdown
4 floor-breakers
Revenue shrinking — -2.7% YoY. Growth thesis broken unless recovery story develops.static
Ranks in the bottom of its industry peers on the composite signal. Better names in the same sector exist.static
Unprofitable operations — net margin -6.0%. Quality floor flags this regardless of sector context.static
Technicals below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static
Price Targets
Position Sizing
Risk Alerts
Earnings
Verdict History
Frequently Asked Questions
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $373.98: a dimension score below its floor triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.2/10. Specifically: Below-average business quality. Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Prior stop was $347.80. Score 4.2/10, moderate confidence.
Analyst target $286.98 reached (−23.3% from $373.98); no take-profit level is published. Prior stop was $347.80. Stop-loss: $347.80.
Concentration risk — Product: DSA segment (59.8%); Target reached (-23.3% upside); Quality below floor (2.9 < 4.0).
Charles River Laboratories Inte trades at a P/E of N/A (forward 29.3). TrendMatrix value score: 4.9/10. Verdict: Sell.
23 analysts cover CRL with a consensus score of 4.1/5. Average price target: $319.
What does Charles River Laboratories Inte do?Charles River Laboratories provides non-clinical drug development services across three segments — Discovery and Safety...
Charles River Laboratories provides non-clinical drug development services across three segments — Discovery and Safety Assessment (59.8% of 2025 revenue), Research Models and Services (21.1%), and Manufacturing Solutions (19.1%) — generating $4.0 billion in total revenue in 2025 across 120+ sites in over 20 countries. The company serves pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients that outsource drug discovery and safety testing.