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Charles River Laboratories Inte (CRL) Stock Analysis

Falling Knife setup

SellVALUE-TRAP 1/5Moderate Confidence

Healthcare · Diagnostics & Research

Earnings in 7 days (2026-05-07). Expect elevated volatility around the report — consider waiting for post-earnings price action before new entries.

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $164.72: Quality below floor (2.7 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.4/10. Specifically: High short interest: 11%; Elevated put/call ratio: 2.15; Below-average business quality.

Charles River Laboratories provides contract research services for drug discovery and non-clinical development, including safety assessment, bioanalytical, and manufacturing services to pharmaceutical and biotech clients globally. Revenue is from long-term contracts and... Read more

$164.72+8.9% A.UpsideScore 4.4/10#23 of 25 Diagnostics & Research
Stop $156.68Target $179.40(analyst − 10%)A.R:R 1.0:1
Analyst target$199.33+21.0%15 analysts
$179.40our TP
$164.72price
$199.33mean
$135
$265

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $164.72: Quality below floor (2.7 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.4/10. Specifically: High short interest: 11%; Elevated put/call ratio: 2.15; Below-average business quality. Chart setup: Death cross, below all MAs, RSI 39, MACD bearish. Score 4.4/10, moderate confidence.

Passes 4/7 gates (clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, news events none recent, semi cycle peak clear). Fails on weak momentum and favorable risk/reward ratio and earnings proximity 7d<=7d. Suitability: aggressive.

Thesis

Rewards
No bull case signals
Risks
Concentration risk — Supplier: non-human primate supply (limited source)
Quality below floor (2.7 < 4.0)

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)
P/E (Fwd)13.3
Mkt Cap$8.1B
EV/EBITDA12.0
Profit Mgn-3.6%
ROE-4.2%
Rev Growth-0.8%
Beta1.62
DividendNone
Rating analysts23

Quality Signals

Piotroski F4/9

Options Flow

P/C2.15bearish
IV72%elevated
Max Pain$310+88.2% vs spot

Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)

  • HIGHSuppliernon-human primate supply (limited source)
    10-K Item 1A: 'Several of our product and service offerings, including 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)

  • 2026-02-18Item 5.02MEDIUM
    Glenn Coleman appointed Corporate EVP and CFO with tentative start date April 6, 2026. Previously CFO/CAO of Premier Inc. and CFO of DENTSPLY SIRONA. Successor named; clean handoff.
    SEC filing →

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

4 floor-breakers

Price action weak — below key moving averages, no momentum carry. Needs a base before trend-continuation setups apply.static

Macd
0.0
Volume
0.0
Obv
1.0
Ma Position
2.2
Rsi
3.5
Volume distribution (falling OBV)Below 200-MA but MA still rising (+1.7%/30d) — pullback in uptrend, not confirmed weakness

Revenue shrinking — -0.8% YoY. Growth thesis broken unless recovery story develops.static

Revenue Growth
2.3
Declining revenue: -1%
Low model confidence on this dimension (33%).

Ranks in the bottom of its industry peers on the composite signal. Better names in the same sector exist.static

Growth Rank
0.0
Quality Rank
2.1
Value Rank
7.6

Unprofitable operations — net margin -3.6%. Quality floor flags this regardless of sector context.static

Roe
0.0
Net Margin
0.0
Operating Margin
1.8
Roa
2.8
Gross Margin
3.0
Piotroski F
4.4
Current Ratio
4.9
Moat
5.0
No competitive moatQuality concerns
GatesMomentum 1.3<4.5A.R:R 1.0 < 1.5@spotEARNINGS PROXIMITY 7d<=7dInsider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsNEWS EVENTS NONE RECENTSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARFalling KnifeSuitability: Aggressive
RSI
39 · Neutral
20D MA 50D MA 200D MADEATH CROSSSupport $161.53Resistance $190.14

Price Targets

$157
$179
A.Upside+8.9%
A.R:R1.0:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0.5%
Max %1%
RegimeSteady

Risk Alerts

! Quality below floor (2.7 < 4.0)
! Momentum score 1.3/10 — below 4.5 minimum
! Reward/Risk 1.0:1 at current price — below 1.5:1 minimum

Earnings

B
B
B
B
4/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-05-07 (7d)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first
Loading history...
Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CRL stock a buy right now?

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $164.72: Quality below floor (2.7 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.4/10. Specifically: High short interest: 11%; Elevated put/call ratio: 2.15; Below-average business quality. Chart setup: Death cross, below all MAs, RSI 39, MACD bearish. Prior stop was $156.68. Score 4.4/10, moderate confidence.

What is the CRL stock price target?

Take-profit target: $179.40 (+8.9% upside). Prior stop was $156.68. Stop-loss: $156.68.

What are the risks of investing in CRL?

Concentration risk — Supplier: non-human primate supply (limited source); Quality below floor (2.7 < 4.0).

Is CRL overvalued or undervalued?

Charles River Laboratories Inte trades at a P/E of N/A (forward 13.3). TrendMatrix value score: 7.7/10. Verdict: Sell.

What do analysts say about CRL?

23 analysts cover CRL with a consensus score of 3.9/5. Average price target: $199.

What does Charles River Laboratories Inte do?Charles River Laboratories provides contract research services for drug discovery and non-clinical development,...

Charles River Laboratories provides contract research services for drug discovery and non-clinical development, including safety assessment, bioanalytical, and manufacturing services to pharmaceutical and biotech clients globally. Revenue is from long-term contracts and fee-for-service arrangements; the company is executing a comprehensive strategic review of its business and prospects.

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