Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
Options no verdict drawn today, left as found
Ethical does not pass the values gate
Price273.00 USD
Fair value207.09
Ethical score10.0/100
RatingAVOID
Our investment reviews on this name
2026-08-25Read Markup298.58-8.6% to today
2026-07-02Read Distribution181.34+50.5% to today
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against today's price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
Charles River Laboratories holds its Markdown at $273.00. The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 25 days.
As held on the ledger · 2026-09-10
Phase
Markdown · caution
Quantitative state
The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 25 days
Price at the screen
$273.00
Valuation
N/A trailing · 21.52 forward price to earnings
Values screen
FAIL· score 10.0
Beta
1.41
The Workings
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Does not pass. Debt ratio
Test
Figure
Limit
What it means
Status
Business activity
Permissible
Core business clean
Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending.
Pass
Debt load
36.02%
Below 33%
Interest-bearing debt is 36.0% of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows.
Fail
Interest-bearing cash
2.90%
Below 33%
Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 2.9% of assets, under the one-third limit.
Pass
Receivables
10.27%
Below 49%
Money owed to the company is 10.3% of assets, under the 49% limit.
Pass
Revenue purity
0.12%
Below 5%
Only 0.1% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, under the 5% line.
Pass
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
What the Numbers Say It Is Worth
The Fair Value Range
Our framework reads AVOID: it trades above our $207.09 fair value estimate, weak competitive moat.
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-09-10 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. The price runs 24.1% above the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 14 covering, consensus Buy. The average target sits +10% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Our more conservative model reads it as fully-to-richly valued here, while the Street is more bullish: a quality-at-a-fair-price name rather than a deep-value one.
Price History & Projections
Where it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-09-10 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain Words
Drug testing labs fail on value and ethics
Picture a busy lab running safety tests on new medicines while the parent company posts losses and piles up debt. Charles River provides those essential research models and non-clinical services yet the numbers show revenue growth of just 1 percent, a negative 5 percent profit margin and negative 6 percent return on equity.
We pass because the shares trade 23 percent above our fair value estimate at 18 times forward earnings with a weak moat and an ethical screen failure on the debt ratio. Analyst targets sit higher but that does not change the weak growth and poor returns on capital.
High debt adds real downside if drug development spending slows or clients cut budgets. The low growth and negative margins point to structural pressure rather than a temporary dip. Analysis, not advice.
The risks · The things to watch: it already moves more than the market on an average day.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to Trade
CRL trades on a US exchange. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The Dated Journal · Newest First, Never Edited
Every Entry, As Written
2026-08-25Markup · changed$298.58+33.1%Entry 5
The framework has shifted from distribution to markup since the last review. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 33.1% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 24%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 24%. The street (15 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $209.
2026-07-25Distribution$224.35+23.7%Entry 4
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved up 23.7% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 24%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 24%. The street (15 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $209.
2026-07-18Distribution$181.34+0.0%Entry 3
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 24%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 24%. The street (15 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $209.
2026-07-03Distribution$181.34+0.0%Entry 2
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02Distribution$181.34Entry 1
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
