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CRL vs. GSK: Charles River Laboratories vs. GSK Stock Comparison

How do Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and GSK (GSK) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and GSK (GSK) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but CRL is classified in Life Sciences Tools & Services while GSK is classified in Pharmaceuticals.

Charles River Laboratories (CRL) trades as ordinary local shares, while GSK (GSK) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and GSK (GSK)
Profile ItemCRLGSK
NameCharles River Laboratories International, Inc.GSK plc ADR
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited Kingdom
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupPharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life SciencesPharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS IndustryLife Sciences Tools & ServicesPharmaceuticals
GICS Sub-IndustryLife Sciences Tools & ServicesPharmaceuticals
Market Capitalization16.17 billion USD100.88 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJune 23, 2000March 28, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CRL
GSK
GSPC
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. GSK (GSK), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and GSK (GSK). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and GSK (GSK). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and GSK (GSK)
MetricCRLGSK
Total Return (1Y)110.83%13.73%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)27.87%18.65%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-1.57%7.97%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CRL
GSK
GSPC
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. GSK (GSK), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and GSK (GSK). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Charles River Laboratories (CRL) has an aggressive beta of 1.33, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while GSK (GSK) is defensive at 0.31 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and GSK (GSK)
MetricCRLGSK
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)47.81%26.25%
Beta (5Y)1.330.31
Max Drawdown (5Y)-74.73%-37.63%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.05M4.05M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CRL and GSK are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and GSK (GSK)
MetricCRLGSK
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)2.230.36
Sortino Ratio (1Y)3.580.56

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

GSK (GSK) at 28.27% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 1.27% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for GSK.

CRL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.27%

Max
109.18%
Q3
6.23%
CRL
1.27%
Median
-26.66%
Q1
-64.05%
Min
-167.77%

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

28.27%

Max
109.18%
GSK
28.27%
Q3
6.23%
Median
-26.66%
Q1
-64.05%
Min
-167.77%
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their ROE against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

GSK (GSK) at 12.97% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 1.01%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

CRL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.01%

Max
18.05%
Q3
4.78%
CRL
1.01%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-4.14%
Min
-17.05%

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

12.97%

Max
18.05%
GSK
12.97%
Q3
4.78%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-4.14%
Min
-17.05%
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their net margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 23.42% and GSK (GSK) at 32.14% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

CRL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

23.42%

Max
83.12%
CRL
23.42%
Q3
14.77%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-78.82%
Min
-207.40%

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

32.14%

Max
83.12%
GSK
32.14%
Q3
14.77%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-78.82%
Min
-207.40%
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their operating margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and GSK (GSK)
MetricCRLGSK
ROE (TTM)1.27%28.27%
ROA (TTM)4.74%9.24%
Net Margin (TTM)1.01%12.97%
Operating Margin (TTM)23.42%32.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)35.10%73.79%

Growth

Revenue Growth

GSK (GSK) at 4.11% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at -0.85% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

GSK (GSK) at 123.15% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at -1,555.00% falls below its industry range — a large difference in per-share earnings trajectories.

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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and GSK (GSK)
MetricCRLGSK
Revenue Growth (YoY)-0.85%4.11%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)0.33%3.66%
EPS Growth (YoY)-1,555.00%123.15%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)---27.63%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 1.41 and GSK (GSK) at 0.86 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

CRL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.41

Max
25.13
Q3
12.13
Median
5.52
Q1
2.47
CRL
1.41
Min
0.10

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.86

Max
25.13
Q3
12.13
Median
5.52
Q1
2.47
GSK
0.86
Min
0.10
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their current ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 0.87 and GSK (GSK) at 1.30 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

CRL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.87

Max
1.42
CRL
0.87
Q3
0.65
Median
0.15
Q1
0.02
Min
0.00

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.30

Max
1.42
GSK
1.30
Q3
0.65
Median
0.15
Q1
0.02
Min
0.00
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and GSK (GSK)
MetricCRLGSK
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.410.86
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.871.30
Net Debt / EBITDA2.921.88

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Charles River Laboratories (CRL) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile GSK (GSK) reports a yield of 1.57%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CRL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

CRL
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.57%

GSK
1.57%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Charles River Laboratories (CRL) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile GSK (GSK) reports a payout of 63.33%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CRL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

CRL
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

63.33%

GSK
63.33%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and GSK (GSK)
MetricCRLGSK
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%1.57%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%63.33%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

GSK (GSK) at 17.54 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 366.87 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for CRL’s trailing earnings.

CRL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

366.87

CRL
366.87
Max
85.34
Q3
43.46
Median
26.69
Q1
13.30
Min
0.07

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

17.54

Max
85.34
Q3
43.46
Median
26.69
GSK
17.54
Q1
13.30
Min
0.07
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

GSK (GSK) at 3.01 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 4.07 prices around its industry’s middle — GSK costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

CRL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

4.07

Max
58.18
Q3
25.77
Median
7.30
CRL
4.07
Q1
3.01
Min
0.01

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

3.01

Max
58.18
Q3
25.77
Median
7.30
Q1
3.01
GSK
3.01
Min
0.01
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 5.01 and GSK (GSK) at 4.02 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

CRL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

5.01

Max
13.53
Q3
6.54
CRL
5.01
Median
3.25
Q1
1.69
Min
-5.59

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

4.02

Max
13.53
Q3
6.54
GSK
4.02
Median
3.25
Q1
1.69
Min
-5.59
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and GSK (GSK)
MetricCRLGSK
P/E Ratio (TTM)366.8717.54
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.073.01
P/B Ratio (MRQ)5.014.02
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.74%5.28%