Charles River Laboratories slides as investors reprice post-divestiture outlook and leadership transition

Charles River Laboratories (CRL) is down 4.0% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The drop appears tied to lingering investor caution after the company’s plan to divest its CDMO and Cell Solutions businesses and certain European Discovery Services assets, which reduces near-term reported revenue and reshapes 2026 expectations. The move may also reflect continued sell-side skepticism around the company’s muted 2026 organic growth outlook, with some investors using any strength to trim exposure.

Details:

The company signed definitive agreements to divest its CDMO and Cell Solutions businesses and to sell certain European Discovery Services assets as part of a portfolio reshaping.

Management indicated these divestitures are expected to reduce 2026 reported revenue by a little over $200 million, which can pressure sentiment even if profitability improves.

Leadership changes have been in motion, including a new CFO starting April 6, 2026, which can add uncertainty around execution timing and updated targets.

This could also be a “hangover” trade: after the strategic pivot announcement, investors may be reassessing how quickly demand stabilizes and whether the remaining portfolio can reaccelerate growth.

Sources:

Charles River Laboratories (press release/SEC filing), Fierce Pharma, TipRanks

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 270 institutional investors add shares of $CRL stock to their portfolio, and 290 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 2 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

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
Ann Hynes from Mizuho set a target price of $175.0 on 02/20/2026
Charles Rhyee from TD Cowen set a target price of $235.0 on 02/20/2026
Ross Muken from Evercore ISI Group set a target price of $200.0 on 02/19/2026
Luke Sergott from Barclays 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.