Analyst Consensus ?
ConsensusBuy36 ratings
Bullish2569.4%
Neutral1130.6%
Bearish00.0%
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. · CRL · FY2026 Q1 · Calendar Q2 2026
Charles River Beats Q1 Estimates as Cost Savings and NHP Internalization Drive Margin Story
Charles River's Q1 FY2026 beat on both EPS ($2.06 vs $1.96, +5.1%) and revenue ($995.8M vs $977.5M, +1.9%) marks an incremental improvement from the 1.6% organic revenue decline in 2025. Management reaffirmed 2026 guidance and shifted tone from cautious to confident, citing net book-to-bill above 1.0, high-single-digit proposal volume growth, and a $300M cumulative cost-savings program targeting 120-150 bps of operating margin expansion. The strategic narrative now centers on NHP supply internalization (K.F. Cambodia, Noveprim), portfolio reshaping (CDMO and Cell Solutions divested, PathoQuest acquired), and AI/NAMs as long-term growth drivers. The market response was muted -- a 0.28% abnormal return on elevated volume -- suggesting investors are waiting for the September Investor Day to validate the Pathway to Purpose strategy. The stock trades at $233.59, modestly above the analyst…
Reported Before market openNYSEHealthcare
$11.30B market cap
100quality score
Company context
Snapshot as of publicationCharles River Laboratories International, Inc. operates as a contract research organization (CRO), providing essential preclinical services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Its core business revolves around assisting clients with drug discovery, non-clinical development, and thorough safety testing, with its services extending globally across the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Asia Pacific region. The company organizes its diverse offerings into three principal segments: Research Models and Services (RMS), Discovery and Safety Assessment (DSA), and Manufacturing Solutions. 1. Research Models and Services (RMS): This division is a key supplier of high-quality rodent research models, including specially bred strains of rats and mice for experimental purposes. It also offers a comprehensive array of support services to help clients effectively utilize these models in their research and for the screening of potential non-clinical drug candidates.…
Earnings scorecard
Reported versus consensus
Reported EPS
$2.06
Consensus $2
EPS surprise
+5.1%
Reported versus consensus
Reported revenue
$995.8M
Consensus $977.5M
Revenue surprise
+1.9%
Reported versus consensus
Earnings History
Estimate
Beat
Miss
Match
Analyst 52W Price Targets
$232.51Current
$151Low
$265.5Average
$465High
Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Jul 31, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.
Firm-level rating actions
FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.
| Firm | Rating | Prior rating | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLSA | Hold | Outperform | Downgrade | Jul 20, 2026 |
| Mizuho | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jul 13, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Jul 9, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI Group | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | May 8, 2026 |
| Barclays | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | May 8, 2026 |
| JP Morgan | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Apr 13, 2026 |
| UBS | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Feb 25, 2026 |
| TD Cowen | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Feb 20, 2026 |
| Citigroup | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jan 16, 2026 |
| Baird | Outperform | Neutral | Upgrade | Nov 6, 2025 |
| William Blair | Outperform | Market Perform | Upgrade | Oct 6, 2025 |
| Jefferies | Buy | Hold | Upgrade | Sep 9, 2025 |
| Redburn Atlantic | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | May 23, 2025 |
| Goldman Sachs | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Mar 21, 2025 |
| B of A Securities | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Dec 13, 2024 |
| Argus Research | Hold | Buy | Downgrade | Jun 28, 2024 |
| Guggenheim | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Feb 15, 2024 |
| Wells Fargo | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Sep 22, 2023 |
| Credit Suisse | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | May 12, 2023 |
| Deutsche Bank | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 14, 2022 |
| Keybanc | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | May 5, 2022 |
| Stephens & Co. | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Apr 7, 2022 |
| Truist Securities | Buy | Buy | Maintain | May 25, 2021 |
| SunTrust Robinson Humphrey | Buy | Buy | Maintain | May 8, 2020 |
| Wolfe Research | Outperform | Peer Perform | Upgrade | Feb 18, 2020 |
| CFRA | Strong Buy | Strong Buy | Maintain | Feb 11, 2020 |
| Bank of America | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Oct 18, 2019 |
| RBC Capital | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Nov 8, 2018 |
| Raymond James | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Nov 8, 2018 |
| Argus | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Aug 27, 2018 |
| Mitsubishi UFJ | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Apr 20, 2018 |
| Gabelli & Co. | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Apr 26, 2016 |
| Edward Jones | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | May 4, 2015 |
| Cantor Fitzgerald | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Oct 1, 2013 |
| Sterne Agee | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jun 11, 2013 |
| ISI Group | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Feb 20, 2013 |
Named analyst price targets
Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $232.51. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.
| Firm | Analyst | 52W target | Price when posted | Upside | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mizuho Securities | Analyst unavailable | $230 | $233.41 | -1.1% | Jul 13, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $260 | $223.96 | +11.8% | Jul 9, 2026 |
| BNP Paribas | Analyst unavailable | $250 | $226.79 | +7.5% | Jul 1, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $220 | $184.79 | -5.4% | Jun 17, 2026 |
| CLSA | Analyst unavailable | $219 | $181.34 | -5.8% | May 29, 2026 |
| Robert W. Baird | Eric Coldwell | $213 | $175.56 | -8.4% | May 8, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI | Analyst unavailable | $220 | $176.32 | -5.4% | May 8, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Analyst unavailable | $192 | $181.68 | -17.4% | May 8, 2026 |
| Barclays | Luke Sergott | $220 | $181.68 | -5.4% | May 8, 2026 |
| Barclays | Luke Sergott | $210 | $178.34 | -9.7% | Apr 14, 2026 |
| RBC Capital | Analyst unavailable | $215 | $178.34 | -7.5% | Apr 14, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Analyst unavailable | $175 | $164.24 | -24.7% | Feb 20, 2026 |
| Robert W. Baird | Eric Coldwell | $193 | $158.18 | -17.0% | Feb 19, 2026 |
| Barclays | Luke Sergott | $200 | $158 | -14.0% | Feb 19, 2026 |
| Robert W. Baird | Analyst unavailable | $231 | $221.69 | -0.6% | Jan 13, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI | Analyst unavailable | $260 | $225.11 | +11.8% | Jan 13, 2026 |
| Robert W. Baird | Eric Coldwell | $224 | $219.49 | -3.7% | Jan 9, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Ann Hynes | $215 | $215.51 | -7.5% | Jan 9, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Analyst unavailable | $200 | $195.98 | -14.0% | Dec 18, 2025 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $215 | $192.97 | -7.5% | Dec 15, 2025 |
| Morgan Stanley | Kallum Titchmarsh | $185 | $176.09 | -20.4% | Dec 1, 2025 |
| Argus Research | Analyst unavailable | $200 | $166.73 | -14.0% | Nov 17, 2025 |
| Mizuho Securities | Ann Hynes | $174 | $174.95 | -25.2% | Oct 17, 2025 |
| Evercore ISI | Elizabeth Anderson | $200 | $181.18 | -14.0% | Oct 3, 2025 |
| Barclays | Luke Sergott | $195 | $170.48 | -16.1% | Oct 2, 2025 |
| Jefferies | Analyst unavailable | $195 | $157.38 | -16.1% | Sep 9, 2025 |
| Barclays | Luke Sergott | $205 | $193.14 | -11.8% | Oct 15, 2024 |
| Redburn Partners | Jamie Clark | $151 | $192.97 | -35.1% | Oct 14, 2024 |
| Mizuho Securities | Ann Hynes | $210 | $206.44 | -9.7% | Sep 17, 2024 |
| Deutsche Bank | Justin Bowers | $240 | $200.34 | +3.2% | Aug 8, 2024 |
| Robert W. Baird | Eric Coldwell | $239 | $201.85 | +2.8% | Jul 10, 2024 |
| Barclays | Luke Sergott | $230 | $207.35 | -1.1% | Jun 28, 2024 |
| Goldman Sachs | Matthew Sykes | $290 | $216.12 | +24.7% | Jun 6, 2024 |
| Evercore ISI | Elizabeth Anderson | $265 | $230.09 | +14.0% | May 9, 2024 |
| Evercore ISI | Elizabeth Anderson | $300 | $270.95 | +29.0% | Apr 1, 2024 |
| KeyBanc | Donald Hooker | $300 | $257.51 | +29.0% | May 5, 2022 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $325 | $257.75 | +39.8% | Apr 25, 2022 |
| Jefferies | David Windley | $280 | $273.03 | +20.4% | Apr 25, 2022 |
| Jefferies | David Windley | $464 | $357.95 | +99.6% | Jan 11, 2022 |
| Argus Research | David Toung | $440 | $377.51 | +89.2% | Nov 24, 2021 |
| Cowen & Co. | Daniel Brennan | $465 | $417.45 | +100.0% | Aug 17, 2021 |
| Credit Suisse | Katie Tryhane | $385 | $416.31 | +65.6% | Aug 4, 2021 |
| J.P. Morgan | Tycho Peterson | $390 | $337.99 | +67.7% | May 28, 2021 |
| Guggenheim | Sandy Draper | $369 | $329.52 | +58.7% | May 25, 2021 |
Track every rating change on CRL the moment it posts. Free to start.
Start freeMarket reaction
prior-close to event-session close
Stock move
-0.0%
Event window
SPY move
-0.3%
Same window
Abnormal move
+0.3%
Stock minus SPY
Volume
1.7×
Versus trailing sessions
Subsequent drift
-0.2%
Up to 20 sessions
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Try FN2 freeTranscript intelligence
What changed
EPS beat estimates by 5.1% ($2.06 vs $1.96) and revenue beat by 1.9% ($995.8M vs $977.5M). Management tone shifted from cautious to confident. Guidance sentiment moved from raised to maintained. Organic revenue decline improved to 1.5% from 1.6% in full-year 2025. PathoQuest acquisition closed, adding NGS-based quality-control testing to the NAMs portfolio. CDMO and Cell Solutions divestitures completed; sale of European discovery sites pending. Noveprim controlling-stake acquisition added, further internalizing NHP supply. $200M share repurchase executed. New Pathway to Purpose strategy announced with an Investor Day scheduled for September.
Guidance delta
Management reaffirmed full-year 2026 guidance: organic revenue flat to slightly negative, EPS $10.70-$11.20 (4-9% growth), operating margin up 20-50 bps. Guidance sentiment shifted from raised to maintained. The Q1 call provided additional margin-bridge detail, citing $100M of incremental cost savings and 120-150 bps of operating margin expansion from the $300M cumulative efficiency program.
Key takeaways
- Q1 beat: EPS $2.06 vs $1.96 (+5.1%); revenue $995.8M vs $977.5M (+1.9%)
- Organic revenue declined 1.5%, improving from 1.6% in full-year 2025
- Net book-to-bill above 1.0 and high-single-digit proposal volume growth signal resilient demand
- NHP supply internalization advanced through K.F. Cambodia and Noveprim acquisitions
- Portfolio reshaping: CDMO and Cell Solutions divested, PathoQuest acquired, European discovery sites sale pending
- $200M share repurchase executed
Management priorities
- Host Investor Day in September to detail Pathway to Purpose strategy
- Continue investing in AI, NAMs, and the Apollo cloud platform
- Pursue additional M&A and strategic divestitures to sharpen the portfolio
- Maintain disciplined capital allocation: share repurchases and debt repayment
- Evaluate further geographic expansion, especially in China and broader Asia
Related earnings events
HealthcareSources
- Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
- FN2 earnings calendar · 2026-07-26T00:37:12.209961+00:00
- Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-07-31T17:37:47.445980+00:00
- Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-07-31T17:37:47.442969+00:00
Methodology
Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.
Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.
Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.
By FN2 Research · Updated . For educational purposes only; not investment advice.