Investor Relations

WILMINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 4, 2026-- Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE: CRL) today reported its results for the third quarter ended September 26, 2026.

Key Highlights

• Reports third-quarter revenue of $982.7 million, GAAP earnings per share of $6.86, and non-GAAP earnings per share of $3.09.
  • Organic revenue growth of 4.7%, outperforming the Company's prior outlook and representing a return to organic revenue growth for the second consecutive quarter.
  • Operating margin increased year-over-year, with non-GAAP operating margin increasing 330 basis points to 23.0% and GAAP operating margin increasing 730 basis points to 20.6%.
  • Non-GAAP earnings per share increased 27.2% year-over-year.
• Increases 2026 guidance for revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share.
  • Organic revenue guidance increasing by 100 basis points and non-GAAP earnings per share guidance increasing by $0.15 at midpoint.
  • Guidance increases primarily driven by third-quarter outperformance, led by a better-than-expected performance in the DSA segment and a lower tax rate.
• Charles River unveiled its Pathway to Purpose strategic vision and Create the Future™ initiative at its 2026 Investor Day, outlining initiatives designed to enhance operational excellence, strengthen scientific leadership, and drive long-term value creation.
• The Company advanced modernization efforts through the implementation of its Endosafe^® Cartridge Technology Automated Manufacturing Suite, which utilizes a fully automated production suite to increase production capacity and strengthen manufacturing controls and digital traceability. In addition, the Company partnered with Autolomous to launch Apollo Orchestrate™, a new capability within Charles River's Apollo^® platform to digitize and transform laboratory workflows, increase efficiency, and provide greater transparency and connectivity with clients.
• Charles River has also taken steps to continue to strengthen its scientific capabilities. It recently announced an industry collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to validate preclinical screening tools to quantify and rank the abuse potential of new drugs.
• To further advance its Alternative Methods Advancement Project™ (AMAP™) initiative, the Company introduced a new, rapid cell banking program designed to significantly accelerate product release timelines in its Biologics Testing Solutions business by incorporating in vitro next-generation sequencing capabilities into the cell bank production process. In addition, its Virtual Control Group (VCG) database and methodology will be used in an upcoming Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)-compliant safety assessment study for Ipsen.

Third-Quarter Results

Revenue was $982.7 million, a decrease of 2.2% from $1,004.9 million in the third quarter of 2025, primarily driven by the impact of the May 2026 divestitures. On an organic basis, revenue increased 4.7%, driven by revenue growth in the Manufacturing Solutions (Manufacturing) and Discovery and Safety Assessment (DSA) segments. Organic revenue growth excludes the effect of acquisitions, divestitures, and foreign currency translation.

In the third quarter of 2026, the GAAP operating margin was 20.6%, compared to 13.3% in the third quarter of 2025, driven primarily by a benefit of $44.6 million in the DSA segment from the reversal of acquired non-income tax reserves following newly enacted tax legislation and completion of certain tax requirements in a foreign jurisdiction. The GAAP net income available to common shareholders for the third quarter of 2026 was $333.1 million, or $6.86 per diluted share, compared to GAAP net income of $54.4 million, or $1.10 per diluted share for the same period in 2025. The GAAP net income and earnings per share increases included a benefit totaling $245.6 million, or $5.06 per share, associated with the reversal of acquired tax reserves following newly enacted tax legislation and completion of certain tax requirements in a foreign jurisdiction.

On a non-GAAP basis, the third-quarter operating margin increased to 23.0% from 19.7% in the third quarter of 2025, primarily as a result of the benefit of the CDMO divestiture and operating leverage from higher sales volume for safety assessment services. Non-GAAP net income was $150.1 million for the third quarter of 2026, an increase of 24.8% from $120.3 million for the same period in 2025. Third-quarter diluted earnings per share on a non-GAAP basis were $3.09, an increase of 27.2% from $2.43 per share in the third quarter of 2025. The non-GAAP net income and earnings per share increases were driven primarily by the higher operating margin and a lower tax rate.

Birgit Girshick, Chief Executive Officer, said, “In the third quarter, we were encouraged by the continued strength of the biopharmaceutical demand environment and that was reflected in our financial results. Revenue and earnings per share outperformed our prior expectations, DSA net bookings and proposals continued to show robust, year-over-year increases, and we continued to make meaningful progress towards our strategy and long-term financial targets. We see significant opportunities to continue to strengthen Charles River’s position as a leading scientific partner for regulated testing across the drug development continuum. Through our Pathway to Purpose strategy, we are building a more agile, client-centric organization that will deepen client relationships, expand engagement across our portfolio, and increase our share of R&D spend as demand trends continue to improve."

Third-Quarter Segment Results

Discovery and Safety Assessment (DSA)

Revenue for the DSA segment was $596.3 million in the third quarter of 2026, a decrease of 0.7% from $600.7 million in the third quarter of 2025, primarily driven by the divestiture of certain European Discovery Services sites. Organic revenue increased by 5.9%, driven primarily by higher study volume for regulated safety assessment services.

In the third quarter of 2026, the DSA segment’s GAAP operating margin increased to 28.9% from 20.5% in the third quarter of 2025. The increase was primarily driven by the reversal of acquired non-income tax reserves. On a non-GAAP basis, the operating margin increased to 26.8% from 25.4% in the third quarter of 2025. The non-GAAP operating margin increase was primarily driven by operating leverage from higher study volume for regulated safety assessment services, as well as lower sourcing costs for large research models.

Manufacturing Solutions (Manufacturing)

Revenue for the Manufacturing segment was $178.9 million in the third quarter of 2026, a decrease of 6.2% from $190.7 million in the third quarter of 2025, primarily driven by the CDMO divestiture. Organic revenue increased 7.4%, driven by strong demand in both the Biologics Testing Solutions and Microbial Solutions businesses.

The Manufacturing segment’s GAAP operating margin was 35.7%, compared to 20.9% in the third quarter of 2025. On a non-GAAP basis, the operating margin increased to 38.6% from 26.7% in the third quarter of 2025. The GAAP and non-GAAP increases were driven primarily by the benefit of the CDMO divestiture.

Research Models and Services (RMS)

Revenue for the RMS segment was $207.5 million in the third quarter of 2026, a decrease of 2.8% from $213.5 million in the third quarter of 2025, primarily driven by the Cell Solutions divestiture. Organic revenue decreased by 0.6%, due primarily to lower revenue for small research models in North America and for large research models. The decline was partially offset by higher revenue for small research models in China and for research model services, particularly the Insourcing Solutions business.

In the third quarter of 2026, the RMS segment’s GAAP operating margin increased to 19.9% from 16.2% in the third quarter of 2025, primarily due to lower costs related to the Cell Solutions divestiture and restructuring initiatives. On a non-GAAP basis, the operating margin decreased to 24.4% from 25.0%. The non-GAAP operating margin decrease was primarily driven by the impact of an unfavorable revenue mix, both geographically and related to large research models.

2026 Guidance Update

The Company is increasing its 2026 revenue and earnings per share guidance, which was last updated on August 5, 2026. This increase primarily reflects the third-quarter outperformance, which was principally driven by the better-than-expected performance in the DSA segment and a lower tax rate. On a GAAP basis, the Company is also increasing its earnings per share guidance, due primarily to the third-quarter benefit associated with the reversal of acquired tax reserves.

The Company’s 2026 guidance for revenue and earnings per share is as follows:

Webcast

Charles River has scheduled a live webcast on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. ET to discuss matters relating to this press release. To participate, please go to ir.criver.com and select the webcast link. You can also find the associated slide presentation and reconciliations of GAAP financial measures to non-GAAP financial measures on the website.

Non-GAAP Reconciliations

The Company reports non-GAAP results in this press release, which exclude often-one-time charges and other items that are outside of normal operations. A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP results is provided in the schedules at the end of this press release.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains non-GAAP financial measures, such as non-GAAP earnings per share, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin, and non-GAAP net income. Non-GAAP financial measures exclude, but are not limited to, the amortization of intangible assets and the purchase accounting step-up adjustment on inventory and certain long term biological assets, and other charges and adjustments related to our acquisitions and divestitures, including expenses associated with evaluating and integrating acquisitions and divestitures, including advisory fees, certain transition costs, and certain other transaction-related costs, as well as fair value adjustments associated with contingent consideration; charges, gains, and losses attributable to businesses or properties we plan to close, consolidate, or divest, including the divestitures of our CDMO and Cell Solutions businesses, the sale of certain of our European Discovery Services sites, and the sale of certain assets including real estate; severance and other costs associated with our restructuring initiatives; investment gains or losses associated with our venture capital and certain other strategic equity investments; certain legal costs and adjustments related to an NHP inventory charge in our DSA segment related to now concluded U.S. government investigations into the NHP supply chain; legal and advisory costs related to entering into a Cooperation Agreement with a shareholder; tax effect of all of the aforementioned matters; and adjustments related to the derecognition of certain deferred tax assets due to the CDMO Gene Therapy intangible asset impairment charge, the recognition of deferred tax assets expected to be utilized as a result of changes to the Company's international financing structure, the revaluation of deferred tax liabilities as a result of foreign tax legislation, and the tax benefit recognized as a result of the changes in tax law enacted in a foreign jurisdiction. This press release also refers to our revenue on both a GAAP and non-GAAP basis: on a non-GAAP basis, we define “organic revenue growth” as reported revenue growth adjusted for foreign currency translation, acquisitions, and divestitures. We exclude these items from the non-GAAP financial measures because they are outside our normal operations. There are limitations in using non-GAAP financial measures, as they are not presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and may be different than non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. In particular, we believe that the inclusion of supplementary non-GAAP financial measures in this press release helps investors to gain a meaningful understanding of our core operating results and future prospects without the effect of these often-one-time charges, and is consistent with how management measures and forecasts the Company's performance, especially when comparing such results to prior periods or forecasts. We believe that the financial impact of our acquisitions and divestitures (and in certain cases, the evaluation of such acquisitions and divestitures, whether or not ultimately consummated) is often large relative to our overall financial performance, which can adversely affect the comparability of our results on a period-to-period basis. In addition, certain activities and their underlying associated costs, such as business acquisitions, generally occur periodically but on an unpredictable basis. We calculate non-GAAP integration costs to include third-party integration costs incurred post-acquisition. Presenting revenue on an organic basis allows investors to measure our revenue growth exclusive of acquisitions, divestitures, and foreign currency exchange fluctuations more clearly. Non-GAAP results also allow investors to compare the Company’s operations against the financial results of other companies in the industry who similarly provide non-GAAP results. The non-GAAP financial measures included in this press release are not meant to be considered superior to or a substitute for results of operations presented in accordance with GAAP. The Company intends to continue to assess the potential value of reporting non-GAAP results consistent with applicable rules and regulations. Reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures used in this press release to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are set forth in this press release, and can also be found on the Company’s website at ir.criver.com.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” “would,” “may,” “estimate,” “plan,” “outlook,” and “project,” and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These statements also include statements regarding: the projected and/or anticipated future financial performance of Charles River and our specific businesses, including as delineated in our forward-looking guidance, and particularly our expectations with respect to revenue, the impact of foreign exchange, interest rates, and enhanced efficiency initiatives, including our Create the Future initiative; our expectations with respect to our ability to gain market share; our ability to create long-term value for our shareholders and successfully execute on our strategic initiatives, including our Pathway to Purpose strategic vision, and the impact and results of such initiatives; the Company’s plans or prospects, expectations and long-term goals associated with our business; earnings per share; operating margin; client demand, particularly the future demand for drug discovery and development products and services, including our expectations for future revenue trends; our expectations with respect to booking trends and the impacts thereof; our expectations with respect to pricing of our products and services; our expectations with respect to future tax rates and the impact of such tax rates on our business; our expectations with respect to the impact of acquisitions and divestitures, including the acquisition of the assets of K.F. (Cambodia) Ltd. and of PathoQuest SAS, the divestitures of the Company's CDMO and Cell Solutions businesses, the sale of certain of our European Discovery Services sites, and the sale of certain assets including real estate; our service offerings, client perception, strategic relationships, revenue, revenue growth rates, revenue growth drivers, and earnings; the development and performance of our services and products, including our investments in our portfolio; market and industry conditions including the outsourcing of services and identification of spending trends by our clients and funding available to them; ability to gain market share and capitalize on business and growth opportunities; the impact of our restructuring initiatives, including annualized savings; and the impact of our stock repurchase authorization. Forward-looking statements are based on Charles River’s current expectations and beliefs, speak only as of the date of this press release, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by the forward-looking statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the impact of NHP supply constraints; changes and uncertainties in the global economy and financial markets, including disruptions in the global economy caused by geopolitical conflicts; the ability to successfully integrate businesses we acquire, and risks and uncertainties associated with businesses that we acquire; the timing and magnitude of our share repurchases; negative trends in research and development spending, negative trends in the level of outsourced services, or other cost reduction actions by our clients; the ability to convert backlog to revenue; demand and booking trends; special interest groups; contaminations; industry trends; new displacement technologies; USDA and FDA regulations; changes in law; continued availability of products and supplies; the impact of unauthorized access into our information systems; loss of key personnel; interest rate and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; changes in tax regulation and laws; changes in generally accepted accounting principles; and any changes in business, political, or economic conditions due to the threat of future terrorist activity in the U.S. and other parts of the world, and related U.S. military action overseas. A further description of these risks, uncertainties, and other matters can be found in the Risk Factors detailed in Charles River's Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed on February 18, 2026, as well as other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Because forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, actual results and events may differ materially from results and events currently expected by Charles River. Charles River assumes no obligation and expressly disclaims any duty to update information contained in this press release except as required by law.

About Charles River

Charles River provides essential products and services to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, government agencies and leading academic institutions around the globe accelerate their research and drug development efforts. Our dedicated employees are focused on providing clients with exactly what they need to improve and expedite the discovery, early-stage development and safe manufacture of new therapies for the patients who need them. To learn more about our unique portfolio and breadth of services, visit www.criver.com.

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Investor Contact:
Todd Spencer
Corporate Vice President,
Investor Relations
781.222.6455
todd.spencer@crl.com

Media Contact:
Amy Cianciaruso
Corporate Senior Vice President,
Chief Communications Officer
781.222.6168
amy.cianciaruso@crl.com

Source: Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.