July 25, 2025 a 09:00 pm
CRL: Analysts Ratings - Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.
The stock of Charles River Laboratories (CRL) has experienced varying levels of analyst sentiment over recent months. Despite the competition and challenges in the non-clinical contract research organization sector, CRL maintains a robust market position with its diverse service offerings. The current analysis reveals trends that could suggest either caution or opportunity for investors depending on how future prospects play out.
Historical Stock Grades
Examining the analyst ratings through July 2025, the CRL stock shows a significant lean towards holding, with 14 ratings. Buying recommendations are limited to 5, and only one analyst has suggested selling the stock. The absence of strong buy responses highlights a cautious optimism.
| Recommendation | Count | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Strong Buy | 0 | |
| Buy | 5 | |
| Hold | 14 | |
| Sell | 1 | |
| Strong Sell | 0 |
Sentiment Development
Over the last few months, the sentiment around CRL has become increasingly conservative, with a notable decrease in strong buy ratings and a steady increase in hold ratings. This indicates analyst caution, suggesting that while CRL remains a stable investment, there are lower expectations for significant upward movement.
- From July 2025, strong buy recommendations have dropped to zero while hold ratings continue to dominate.
- The total recommendations have remained fairly stable, suggesting consistent analyst coverage.
- A minor shift towards more conservative ratings like Hold and less confidence in issuing Strong Buy ratings.
Percentage Trends
The proportional shift in analyst recommendations underscores a move towards caution. The hold ratings, now at 70%, dominate the current sentiment landscape for CRL stock. This indicates a market preference for stability over aggressive growth assumptions.
- Significant decrease in Strong Buy recommendations going from 5 in early 2024 to 0 in July 2025.
- An increase in Hold recommendations from 7 up to 16 during the same period.
- Indications of market participants favoring a more risk-averse stance recently.
Latest Analyst Recommendations
The latest data reveals mixed actions with a balanced mix of upgrades, downgrades, and maintains. This implies that while some analysts see potential for growth, others are content with holding their positions as is.
| Date | New Recommendation | Last Recommendation | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-09 | Buy | Neutral | Citigroup |
| 2025-07-09 | Outperform | Outperform | Evercore ISI Group |
| 2025-05-23 | Buy | Neutral | Redburn Atlantic |
| 2025-05-08 | Equal Weight | Equal Weight | Barclays |
| 2025-05-08 | Neutral | Neutral | Baird |
Analyst Recommendations with Change of Opinion
Changes in analyst opinions reflect an evolving perception of CRL’s performance potential. Citigroup and Redburn Atlantic show upgraded sentiments which is indicative of newfound optimism, whereas moderate downgrades suggest careful consideration of market conditions.
| Date | New Recommendation | Last Recommendation | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-09 | Buy | Neutral | Citigroup |
| 2025-05-23 | Buy | Neutral | Redburn Atlantic |
| 2025-03-21 | Neutral | Buy | Goldman Sachs |
| 2025-03-04 | Neutral | Sell | Citigroup |
| 2025-03-03 | Neutral | Sell | Redburn Atlantic |
Interpretation
The mixed bag of ratings suggests an uncertainty about CRL’s near-term potential. Low strong buy ratings paired with a high number of hold ratings show that while CRL's core business remains solid, the current market conditions inject some caution into optimistic projections. Analysts show stability with slight lean towards sell ratings indicating cautious confidence but no overwhelming enthusiasm. This implies the market might be waiting for clearer indications of growth potential or external market shifts.
Conclusion
Analysts’ recommendations suggest a cautious but stable view of CRL, with more analysts favoring a 'hold' stance due to industry stability and a diversity of service offerings. Opportunities exist for patient investors looking for stability in the non-clinical research sector. However, risks are present if future earnings do not meet expectations or if competitive pressures increase. Analysts appear to be waiting for more compelling catalysts to turn more bullish.