Charles River Laboratories (CRL) slides 9.6% as investors refocus on restructuring, mixed 2026 outlook, and overhang risks

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (CRL) is down 9.6% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The drop appears tied to renewed investor caution around Charles River’s near-term growth outlook and ongoing operational changes, including site actions and workforce reductions tied to its strategic shift. This could also reflect lingering overhang risk from prior disclosures around segment softness and other headline risks that have periodically pressured sentiment in the CRO/CDMO group.

Details:

In its February 2026 update, the company discussed 2026 expectations alongside prior-year results that included meaningful impairment charges, which can keep investors focused on execution and demand visibility.

Recent operational actions have included relocating certain research model production and related layoffs, as well as plans to close a Maryland cell-therapy CDMO site with additional job impacts.

Company disclosures have also referenced ongoing U.S. government investigations tied to the Cambodia-sourced non-human primate (NHP) supply chain and the potential for related supply impacts, a recurring topic for investors in this niche.

Separately, a large-bank sector note this week reiterated that the CRO space is leaning on a second-half recovery narrative, which can amplify volatility when confidence wobbles.

Sources:

Charles River Laboratories Investor Materials, Fierce Biotech, AOL

Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.

$CRL Insider Trading Activity

$CRL insiders have traded $CRL stock on the open market 1 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 1 have been purchases and 0 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $CRL stock by insiders over the last 6 months:

JOSEPH W LAPLUME (EVP, Corp Strategy & Develop) purchased 25 shares for an estimated $4,363

To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard.

$CRL Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 276 institutional investors add shares of $CRL stock to their portfolio, and 337 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

INVESCO LTD. added 1,446,972 shares (+115.8%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $288,641,974
WELLINGTON MANAGEMENT GROUP LLP removed 1,441,254 shares (-45.2%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $287,501,347
FMR LLC added 1,320,377 shares (+319.3%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $263,388,803
NATIONAL BANK OF CANADA /FI/ removed 919,623 shares (-97.1%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $183,446,396
MASSACHUSETTS FINANCIAL SERVICES CO /MA/ added 884,691 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $176,478,160
NOMURA HOLDINGS INC removed 803,432 shares (-99.6%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $160,268,615
AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL INC added 770,779 shares (+125.6%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $153,754,994

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.

$CRL Analyst Ratings

Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $CRL in the last several months. We have seen 4 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.

Here are some recent analyst ratings:

TD Cowen issued a "Buy" rating on 11/10/2025
Baird issued a "Outperform" rating on 11/06/2025
William Blair issued a "Outperform" rating on 10/06/2025
Evercore ISI Group issued a "Outperform" rating on 10/03/2025

To track analyst ratings and price targets for $CRL, check out Quiver Quantitative's $CRL forecast page.

$CRL Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $CRL recently. We have seen 9 analysts offer price targets for $CRL in the last 6 months, with a median target of $199.0.

Here are some recent targets:

Dan Leonard from UBS set a target price of $175.0 on 02/25/2026
Charles Rhyee from TD Cowen set a target price of $235.0 on 02/20/2026
Ann Hynes from Mizuho set a target price of $175.0 on 02/20/2026
Luke Sergott from Barclays set a target price of $200.0 on 02/19/2026
Ross Muken from Evercore ISI Group set a target price of $200.0 on 02/19/2026
Patrick Donnelly from Citigroup set a target price of $265.0 on 01/16/2026
Casey Woodring from JP Morgan set a target price of $190.0 on 12/15/2025

This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.