NYSE: CRL · Diagnostics & Research
Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) fair value: undervalued or overvalued?
As of 26 Sep 2026, Faircurve's model values Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) at $401.77 a share. The stock last closed at $290.19, which puts the model's fair value 38.5% above the price. On the model's bands that reads as Undervalued.
Revalued . Price is the close of 2 Oct 2026. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.
Faircurve Insights · 26 Sep 2026
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. operates as a contract research organisation, providing essential preclinical services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
Faircurve's model on 26 Sep 2026 gave a fair value of $401.77 a share, the midpoint of 2,000 simulations. This was a move of +4.6% since the previous run on 19 Sep 2026, which gave $384.15. The calibrated range over 63 trading days was $337.08 to $489.89, built from the fair value, and ranges built this way held the price 60% of the time at this horizon. The evidence grade for this valuation was Medium.
The company's overall quality score was 52 out of 100 against comparable companies. Its profitability scored 60, earnings quality 80, growth quality 31, capital discipline 40, balance sheet 11 and stability 70. The model compared it with Revvity, Inc., Medpace Holdings, Inc., Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, Mettler-Toledo International Inc., Sotera Health Company, and Illumina, Inc. Around its last 8 earnings reports, the stock moved by a median size of 7.8%, ignoring direction.
Written from the figures on this page for the 26 Sep 2026 valuation and checked by rule before publishing: every number is one printed here, no forecast, no instruction. The price, the gap and the verdict are the page's own and change daily. Not a recommendation.
What price range does the model give CRL?
The calibrated range for CRL over 63 trading days is $337.08 to $489.89. There is no live options data for this stock, so the range is built from the fair value and calibrated weekly against realised prices (n = 4,327 past valuations, refreshed 26 Sep 2026). Ranges built this way held the price 60% of the time at this horizon.
The price is below this range. For names with fair value 30%+ above price, the calibrated range has held the price 29% of the time over 63 trading days, and 71% ended below it; the typical move was +5.7%.
The model's own simulated range, from the 20th to the 80th percentile of its runs, is $295.33 to $537.15. In 81% of the simulations the fair value came out above the price the model ran on.
How does CRL score on business quality?
Charles River Laboratories International's overall quality score is 52 out of 100. Each factor below is a score against comparable companies, not a percentile of the metric beside it.
| Factor | Score (0 to 100) | Headline measure | Peer median |
|---|---|---|---|
| ProfitabilityReturn on invested capital against the peer group, with a bonus for an improving trend. | 60 | 8.7%ROIC | 3.4% |
| Earnings qualityHow much of reported profit is cash: free cash flow to net income, and the accrual ratio (the share of earnings that is not cash). | 80 | ||
| Growth qualityTrailing revenue growth, forward growth from consensus, and the direction of analyst estimate revisions. | 31 | -0.9%Revenue growth, trailing | 4.7% |
| Capital disciplineReinvestment efficiency (capital spending per unit of revenue) and net buybacks. | 40 | 2.3%Net buybacks / market value | 0.6% |
| Balance sheetNet debt to EBITDA and interest coverage. | 11 | 12.86xNet debt / EBITDA | 0.80x |
| StabilityDownside volatility of the EBITDA margin over the last five years. | 70 | 4.7 ptsEBITDA margin downside volatility, 5y | 5.9 pts |
How does CRL compare with similar companies?
The companies in diagnostics & research closest to Charles River Laboratories International in market value, each on the same model and the same date.
| Company | Last close | Model fair value | Gap | Model verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RVTY Revvity, Inc. | $151.53 | $164.68 | +8.7% | Fairly valued |
| MEDP Medpace Holdings, Inc. | $599.47 | $680.99 | +13.6% | Fairly valued |
| LH Labcorp Holdings Inc. | $308.49 | $303.65 | -1.6% | Low evidence grade |
| DGX Quest Diagnostics Incorporated | $233.33 | $280.88 | +20.4% | Undervalued |
| MTD Mettler-Toledo International Inc. | $1,486.19 | $1,422.10 | -4.3% | Fairly valued |
| RDNT RadNet, Inc. | $69.93 | $64.22 | -8.2% | Low evidence grade |
| SHC Sotera Health Company | $18.22 | $24.67 | +35.4% | Undervalued |
| ILMN Illumina, Inc. | $273.04 | $208.21 | -23.7% | Overvalued |
All diagnostics & research stocks ranked by gap to fair value
When does CRL report earnings, and how has the stock reacted?
Charles River Laboratories International's next earnings report is scheduled for 4 Nov 2026. Companies can move their dates.
Options prices on 2 Oct 2026 imply a move of about 6.2% in either direction through the nearest expiry, about 13 days out. That is the size the market is pricing, not a direction.
How CRL moved around its last 8 earnings reports
Each move runs from the last close before the report to the first close after it, so it covers companies that report before the open and after the close. The median size across these 8 reports, ignoring direction, was 7.8%.
| Report date | Two session move |
|---|---|
| 5 Aug 2026 | +13.4% |
| 7 May 2026 | -2.3% |
| 18 Feb 2026 | +3.6% |
| 5 Nov 2025 | -3.9% |
| 6 Aug 2025 | -10.6% |
| 7 May 2025 | +22.5% |
| 19 Feb 2025 | +5.1% |
| 6 Nov 2024 | +11.5% |
Charles River Laboratories International at a glance
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. operates as a contract research organization (CRO), providing essential preclinical services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
- Market value
- $14.1B
- Sector
- Healthcare
- Industry
- Diagnostics & Research
- Revenue expected, next twelve months
- $4.0B
- Consensus revenue growth, next fiscal year
- -2.7%
- Analysts with estimates
- 5
- Beta to the US market
- 1.13
- First valued by Faircurve
- 1 May 2026
How the fair value is worked out: the model prices Charles River Laboratories International on the value of the whole business, debt included, against the operating profit analysts expect next year (forward EV/EBITDA), runs 2,000 simulations across its inputs and takes the midpoint. The full method is documented here.
What changed in the latest valuation?
On 19 Sep 2026 the model's fair value for CRL was $384.15. As of 26 Sep 2026 it is $401.77, a change of +4.6%. The model revalues every stock it covers each week, and again after an earnings report.
Questions about Charles River Laboratories International's valuation
Is Charles River Laboratories International stock undervalued or overvalued?
On Faircurve's model, CRL reads as Undervalued as of 26 Sep 2026. The model's fair value is $401.77 a share against a last close of $290.19, a gap of +38.5%.
What is CRL's fair value?
$401.77 a share as of 26 Sep 2026, the midpoint of 2,000 simulations. The model's own 20th to 80th percentile range is $295.33 to $537.15.
What price range does the model give CRL?
$337.08 to $489.89 over 63 trading days. Ranges built this way held the price 60% of the time across 4,327 past valuations, refreshed 26 Sep 2026.
When does Charles River Laboratories International report earnings next?
The next report is scheduled for 4 Nov 2026. Companies can move their dates.
How much has CRL moved on past earnings reports?
Across its last 8 reports the median two session move was 7.8%, ignoring direction. The largest was +22.5% around the report of 7 May 2025.
How confident is the model in this valuation?
The model's evidence grade for CRL is medium. The grade looks at how complete the inputs are, how many comparable companies there are and how closely they agree, and how wide the range of outcomes is. It is not a probability that the fair value is right, or that the price reaches it.