CRL vs. MRK: Charles River Laboratories vs. Merck Stock Comparison

Company Profile

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

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Charles River Laboratories (CRL) has an aggressive beta of 1.33, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Merck (MRK) is defensive at 0.11 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 1.27% and Merck (MRK) at 5.06% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 1.01% and Merck (MRK) at 3.64% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 23.42% and Merck (MRK) at 35.22% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Merck (MRK) at 1.31% 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.

Merck (MRK) at 8.01% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at -1,555.00% falls below its industry range, a notably weak earnings reading.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 1.41 and Merck (MRK) at 1.35 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 0.87 and Merck (MRK) at 1.20 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Charles River Laboratories (CRL) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Merck (MRK) reports a yield of 2.29%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Merck (MRK) reports payout ratio above 100% at 343.43%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings; Charles River Laboratories (CRL) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%).

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 366.87 and Merck (MRK) at 148.21 trade above their industries’ P/E ratio peer ranges, pointing to unusually expensive trailing earnings relative to peers.

On P/S ratio, both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 4.07 and Merck (MRK) at 5.37 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 5.01 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Merck (MRK) at 8.06 carries an above-peer premium to book — MRK is pricier on assets.

Valuation Metrics