Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (CRL) Down 5.1% — Should I Take Profits and Move On?
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (CRL) is giving back ground on Friday, last changing hands at $357.03 on the NYSE, down $19.07 from the prior close of $376.10. That prior close was a record, and the stock set its 52-week high of $379.63 just one session earlier, on October 29, 2026. Even after today's decline, CRL sits only about 6% below that peak and roughly 144% above the low end of its 52-week range of $146.20. The pullback is coming off one of the steepest run-ups in the stock's recent history.
Volume so far is light, with about 436,280 shares traded against a 90-day average of roughly 989,910. That is less than half of normal turnover with the session still open.
Why Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. Price is Moving Lower
Today's decline looks like profit-taking after an unusually sharp rally, made worse by a weak tape across growth and Health Care names. CRL had climbed 62.9% over the past three months heading into Friday, and its 14-day momentum reading had reached 86.1, a level widely treated as overbought. Valuation was also running ahead of the Street. The highest published analyst price target stood at $357, below Thursday's record close of $376.10. Today's selloff has pulled the shares back to almost exactly that target, which suggests investors are trimming exposure to a stock that had moved past even the most bullish published forecast.
The broader market made it easier to sell. The Nasdaq was down 2.12% and the S&P 500 fell 1.27% on the day. Related Health Care names have also reported losses. IQVIA Holdings Inc. (IQV, D+), the closest outsourced-research peer, was down 3.27%, and Natera, Inc. (NTRA, D-) dropped 4.60%. CRL's 5.07% decline is somewhat steeper than IQVIA's. That gap fits a stock with more momentum to unwind, not a company-specific setback.
The timing also matters, with the next earnings report scheduled for November 4. CRL's last quarter, reported on August 5, beat expectations. EPS came in at $3.02 against a $2.77 estimate, and revenue reached $1.00 billion versus $980.53 million expected. Management also raised its 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $11.15–$11.45. The underlying trend was softer than the beat suggests, though. Revenue fell 2.7% year over year and adjusted EPS declined 3.2%. Consensus for the upcoming quarter calls for $2.98 in EPS on $956.8 million in revenue, which would be a 4.8% year-over-year revenue decline. A stock priced at record levels heading into a report where sales are still expected to shrink gives holders a clear reason to lock in gains first.
What is the Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. Rating - Should I Sell?
Weiss Ratings assigns CRL a D- rating. The rating was upgraded on 7/1/2026. Current recommendation is Sell. The July upgrade still left the stock at the bottom of the D range. That placement shows how far the business fundamentals lag behind the share price, even after the stock's strong performance this year.
The strengths are real but narrow. CRL is rated Excellent on the Total Return Index, which is easy to see in a stock that has risen from $146.20 to a record above $376 within a single 52-week window, including a 62.9% gain over the last three months alone. The Good rating on the Solvency Index adds some support. It suggests the balance sheet can absorb a period of shrinking revenue without immediate financial strain, which matters for a capital-intensive operator of laboratories and vivarium facilities.
Where the picture turns is in the operating numbers. The Weak rating on the Growth Index reflects revenue contracting 2.72%. Sequential growth of just 0.4%, from $995.83 million in the March quarter to $1.00 billion in the June quarter, does little to change that. The 4.8% year-over-year decline expected for the coming quarter suggests the slide in demand for preclinical services has not yet bottomed. The Efficiency Index is rated Very Weak. CRL carries a -5.96% profit margin and GAAP EPS of -$4.85, and its forward P/E of -77.49 is also negative. For a company whose adjusted EPS guidance sits above $11, that reported loss shows how much write-downs and restructuring costs are weighing on actual profitability. The Weak Volatility Index reflects a stock that more than doubled in a year and is now shedding over 5% in a single session as momentum traders take profits. Those swings cut both ways for holders.
Within the Health Care sector, Charles River Laboratories is on par with Moderna, Inc. (MRNA, D-), Revolution Medicines, Inc. (RVMD, D-), and Natera, Inc. (NTRA, D-). It trails IQVIA Holdings Inc. (IQV, D+) and Zoetis Inc. (ZTS, D+), both of which carry somewhat better risk/reward profiles in Weiss's framework, though neither escapes Sell territory.
About Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (CRL) is a Health Care company that provides drug discovery, non-clinical development, and safety testing services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients. Founded in 1947 and headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts, the company operates across the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Asia Pacific region. Its Research Models and Services segment produces purpose-bred rats and mice for researchers. It also supports clients with genetically engineered models, insourcing solutions, and research animal diagnostics, and it develops and produces cell therapies.
The Discovery and Safety Assessment segment is the core of the franchise. It offers in vitro and in vivo discovery services for small molecules, oligonucleotides, biotherapeutics, and antibodies, taking candidates through to readiness for safety assessment. From there, CRL handles toxicology, pathology, safety pharmacology, bioanalysis, drug metabolism, and pharmacokinetics work, and it rents vivarium space. The Manufacturing Solutions segment covers conventional and rapid quality control testing for sterile and non-sterile pharmaceuticals and consumer products. It also provides specialized biologics testing and contract development and manufacturing services.
The company's competitive position rests on scale and regulatory familiarity in preclinical work, a stage most drug developers choose to outsource rather than build in-house. Its collaborations reach into newer therapeutic areas. In contract development and manufacturing, it works with the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and Children's Hospital Los Angeles. With Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp, it is supporting a next-generation multivalent enterovirus vaccine through IND-enabling non-clinical studies. That breadth ties CRL closely to biopharma research spending, which has been the main source of its recent revenue pressure.
Investor Outlook
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (CRL) carries a Weiss Rating of D- (Sell). A record-setting rally has run well ahead of shrinking revenue and a GAAP loss, so caution is warranted. The November 4 report is the next test. Investors should watch whether results clear the $2.98 EPS and $956.8 million revenue consensus, and whether management reaffirms its $11.15–$11.45 adjusted EPS guidance with signs that the revenue decline is stabilizing. See full rankings of all D- rated Health Care stocks inside the Weiss Stock Screener.
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