Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (CRL) stock analysis

CRLNYSEServices-Commercial Physical & Biological ResearchFiscal year ends December 27

Financials through Q3 FY2026, quarter ended Sep 26, 2026Last filing: 10-Q on Nov 4, 2026Score 7/30189% above fair value

$340.81−1.88 (-0.55%)

Close on Nov 12, 2026Market cap $16.27BP/E 401.0Yield –

StockData Score

Prices as of Nov 11, 2026How the score works

Weak7 of 30 checks passed

Charles River Laboratories International passes 7 of the 30 checks behind our score; 9 could not be run for lack of data and count as not passed. Each dot in the shape is one check — hover it for the numbers.

Valuation: 0/6
Growth: 1/6
Past performance: 2/6
Financial health: 4/6
Dividend: 0/6

What stands out

Debt covered by cash flow
Operating cash flow over the last twelve months equals 25.5% of total debt.
Low bankruptcy risk
The Altman Z-score is 3.35; above 3 is the safe zone and below 1.8 the distress zone.
Guidance raised
Charles River Laboratories International raised its 2026 Non-GAAP EPS estimate outlook on Aug 5, 2026.
Return on equity above the industry
Charles River Laboratories International's return on equity of 1.2% is above the Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management, and Related Services median of -10.2%.

What to watch

Margin of safety under 20%
The price is 189% above fair value, so there is no margin of safety.
Trading above fair value
The share price of $342.69 is above our fair value estimate of $118.71.
Return on equity under 15%
Return on equity was 1.2% over the last twelve months and averaged 9.0% over five years; we look for 15% on both.
Return on capital under 10%
Return on invested capital was 2.3%, below the 10% that usually covers the cost of capital.

Valuation0/6

P/E above its 5-year median
Charles River Laboratories International's P/E of 403.2 is above its own 5-year median of 24.7.
P/E above the industry
Charles River Laboratories International's P/E of 403.2 is above the Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management, and Related Services median of 25.2.
EV/EBITDA above its 5-year median
Charles River Laboratories International's EV/EBITDA of 41.9 is above its 5-year median of 15.9.
P/B above the industry
Charles River Laboratories International's price-to-book of 5.07 is above the Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management, and Related Services median of 3.70.
Trading above fair value
The share price of $342.69 is above our fair value estimate of $118.71.
Margin of safety under 20%
The price is 189% above fair value, so there is no margin of safety.

Growth1/6

Revenue growing under 10% a year
Revenue grew 0.3% a year over the last three fiscal years, short of the 10% we look for.
EPS growth over 3 years
Needs positive EPS three years ago and today.
Earnings acceleration
Needs positive net income now, a year ago and five years ago.
Growing slower than the industry
Revenue grew -1.2% over the last twelve months; the Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management, and Related Services median is 6.6%.
Guidance raised
Charles River Laboratories International raised its 2026 Non-GAAP EPS estimate outlook on Aug 5, 2026.
Gross margin trend
This company does not report gross profit.

Past performance2/6

Return on equity under 15%
Return on equity was 1.2% over the last twelve months and averaged 9.0% over five years; we look for 15% on both.
Return on capital under 10%
Return on invested capital was 2.3%, below the 10% that usually covers the cost of capital.
Return on equity above the industry
Charles River Laboratories International's return on equity of 1.2% is above the Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management, and Related Services median of -10.2%.
Earnings over 5 years
Needs positive net income five years ago and in the latest year.
Net margin below its 5-year average
Net margin was 1.0% over the last twelve months, against a 5-year average of 6.3%.
Net margin above the industry
Charles River Laboratories International's net margin of 1.0% is above the Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management, and Related Services median of -53.6%.

Financial health4/6

High debt
Debt is 75.8% of shareholders' equity, above the 40% we consider low.
Debt falling against equity
Debt to equity fell from 93.5% five years ago to 75.8%.
Debt covered by cash flow
Operating cash flow over the last twelve months equals 25.5% of total debt.
Interest not well covered
Operating income covers interest expense 1.5 times; we look for at least 5.
Short-term assets cover short-term debts
Current assets are 1.41 times current liabilities.
Low bankruptcy risk
The Altman Z-score is 3.35; above 3 is the safe zone and below 1.8 the distress zone.

Dividend0/6

No dividend
Charles River Laboratories International has not paid a dividend in the last twelve months.
Yield against Treasuries
No dividend.
Yield against the market
No dividend.
Dividend stability
No dividend.
Earnings cover
No dividend.
Cash-flow cover
No dividend.

Scores of similar companies

Fair value

How we estimate it

Our estimate per share

$118.71

The share price is 189% above this estimate.

20%+ below

Near fair value

20%+ above

$342.69Price$118.71Fair value

Method	Multiple used	Own 5Y median	Industry median	Value per share	Weight
P/Eleft out, too far from the others	24.9×	24.7×	25.2×	$21.20	–
EV/EBITDA	15.6×	15.9×	15.3×	$97.84	58%
P/B	3.5×	3.3×	3.7×	$235.62	17%
Earnings power	10.8% cost of equity	–	–	$89.46	25%
Fair value				$118.71	100%

Valuation over time

Using the earnings and balance sheet published at each date, not today's.

P/E at month end
Own 5-year median 24.7
Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management, and Related Services median 25.2

An estimate from reported numbers and market multiples, not a price target or investment advice. It can be far off for companies whose profits are about to change sharply.

Market risk

From the past year of daily prices.

Liquidity

Low risk

Average value traded per day: $393.01M
Value traded per 1% price move: $151.95M

Downside

High risk

Typical loss in a bad month: 25.5%
Volatility (annualized): 48%
Sharpe ratio, 1 year: 2.06
Beta to the S&P 500 (5Y): 1.19

Typical bad-month loss, week by week

Margins

Share of revenue, fiscal years 2011 to 2025

Gross margin

–

Operating margin

0.6%−14.2 pts over 5 years

Net margin

-3.6%−16.1 pts over 5 years

Growth rates

Compound annual growth to fiscal 2025

Per year	1 year	3 years	5 years	10 years
Revenue	-0.9%	+0.3%	+6.5%	+11.4%
Operating income	-88.9%	-66.2%	-43.4%	-19.0%
Free cash flow	+3.4%	+20.7%	+6.4%	+7.8%

Returns and balance sheet

10 fiscal years. Hover a measure to see how it is calculated.

Measure	FY2016	FY2020	FY2025
Return on equity	19.7%	19.4%	-4.4%
Return on assets	6.5%	7.2%	-2.0%
Current ratio	1.53	1.43	1.29
Debt to equity	1.45	0.93	0.68
Net debt to EBITDA	3.00×	2.61×	4.49×
Interest coverage	8.6×	5.0×	0.2×
Inventory turnover	2.9×	–	–
Capex to revenue	3.3%	5.7%	5.5%
Diluted shares	48M	51M	50M

DuPont analysis

Return on equity split into margin, efficiency and leverage

Net margin-3.6%

Asset turnover0.55×

Equity multiplier2.21×

Return on equity, FY2025-4.4%

Fiscal year	Net margin	Asset turnover	Equity multiplier	Return on equity
FY2025	-3.6%	0.55×	2.21×	-4.4%
FY2024	0.5%	0.52×	2.23×	0.6%
FY2023	11.5%	0.52×	2.40×	14.4%
FY2022	12.2%	0.54×	2.65×	17.6%
FY2021	11.0%	0.57×	2.69×	16.8%
FY2020	12.5%	0.57×	2.72×	19.4%
FY2019	9.6%	0.61×	2.90×	17.1%
FY2018	10.0%	0.67×	2.87×	19.2%
FY2017	6.6%	0.66×	3.00×	13.1%
FY2016	9.2%	0.70×	3.05×	19.7%

Where these numbers come from

Parsed from the XBRL in Charles River Laboratories International's annual and quarterly filings with the SEC
Fourth quarters derived from the annual report minus nine months
Every figure in the statements links to its source filing