Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (CRL)

In January 2026, James C. Foster announced his retirement, and Birgit Girshick was appointed as his successor. Charles River Laboratories announced planned acquisitions of K.F. (Cambodia) Ltd. and the remaining equity stake in PathoQuest SAS. The company provided a business trends update and its preliminary 2026 outlook at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, noting strengthened demand in its Discovery and Safety Assessment (DSA) segment. Evercore ISI Group maintained an "Outperform" rating and raised its price target for CRL from $250 to $260. In December 2025, Mizuho, JP Morgan, and Barclays maintained their ratings and raised their price targets. The share price as of December 31, 2025, was $199.48, representing a 9.22% increase from January 2, 2025. In November 2025, the company was cleared in a monkey trafficking investigation. Morgan Stanley maintained an "Equal-Weight" rating and increased its price target, while TD Cowen maintained a "Buy" rating but lowered its price target. The stock fell approximately 7% after the company reported Q3 earnings and a disappointing update on its strategic review. The company also announced an upsized cost-saving program and plans to divest some underperforming businesses. In September 2025, Charles River Laboratories presented at the Baird Global Healthcare Conference, discussing its strategic review and challenges in the DSA segment.

While there is no strong, predictable demand seasonality, there are indications of fluctuating demand influenced by external factors and business cycles. Demand trends for its Discovery and Safety Assessment (DSA) segment strengthened throughout the second half of 2025. Challenges in the DSA segment have been linked to limited capital access for small biotech firms. Businesses can have predictable patterns with higher renewal and sales rates in certain quarters, which could apply to Charles River Laboratories' contract-based services.

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (CRL) is a global contract research organization (CRO) that provides essential products and services to accelerate drug discovery, early-stage development, and safety testing for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies, as well as academic and government institutions. The company operates within the pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sectors, specifically in the contract research industry. CRL's operations are structured into three primary business segments: Research Models and Services (RMS), Discovery and Safety Assessment (DSA), and Manufacturing Solutions. The company produces and sells rodent research model strains, purpose-bred rats and mice, and related support services. It also offers early and in vivo discovery services, safety assessment services, and oncology and immuno-oncology services. Additionally, it provides microbial solutions, biologics testing solutions, avian vaccine services, and cell and gene therapy CDMO services.

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a significant global presence, with facilities and operations spanning at least 20 countries. Its geographic footprint includes North America (United States, Canada), Europe (Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom), and Asia Pacific and Other (Australia, China, India, Singapore, South Korea).

Charles River Laboratories' brand reputation has been influenced by several key events. The company was involved in a monkey trafficking investigation in 2023 but was cleared in November 2025. Charles River has faced public scrutiny and regulatory attention regarding its use of laboratory animals. The planned acquisition of PathoQuest SAS is expected to enhance Charles River's biologics testing capabilities and supports the company's Alternative Methods Advancement Project (AMAP) initiative.

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (CRL) has a mixed ownership structure. Approximately 84.30% of the company's stock is owned by institutional investors, with Vanguard Group Inc. owning the most shares. Approximately 1.01% of the stock is owned by insiders. Approximately 14.69% of the stock is owned by public companies and individual investors.