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CRL vs. PFE: Charles River Laboratories vs. Pfizer Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and Pfizer (PFE)
Profile ItemCRLPFE
NameCharles River Laboratories International, Inc.Pfizer Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
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 USD167.52 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJune 23, 2000June 1, 1972
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CRL
PFE
GSPC
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. Pfizer (PFE), 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 Pfizer (PFE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and Pfizer (PFE). 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 Pfizer (PFE)
MetricCRLPFE
Total Return (1Y)110.83%28.65%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)27.87%6.41%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-1.57%-3.98%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CRL
PFE
GSPC
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. Pfizer (PFE), 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 Pfizer (PFE). 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 Pfizer (PFE) is defensive at 0.35 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 Pfizer (PFE)
MetricCRLPFE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)47.81%21.72%
Beta (5Y)1.330.35
Max Drawdown (5Y)-74.73%-58.96%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.05M33.67M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CRL and PFE 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 Pfizer (PFE)
MetricCRLPFE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)2.231.12
Sortino Ratio (1Y)3.581.73

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 1.27% and Pfizer (PFE) at 4.47% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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%

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

4.47%

Max
109.18%
Q3
6.23%
PFE
4.47%
Median
-26.66%
Q1
-64.05%
Min
-167.77%
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. Pfizer (PFE): A comparison of their ROE against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Pfizer (PFE) at 6.34% 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%

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

6.34%

Max
18.05%
PFE
6.34%
Q3
4.78%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-4.14%
Min
-17.05%
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. Pfizer (PFE): 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 Pfizer (PFE) at 33.38% 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%

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

33.38%

Max
83.12%
PFE
33.38%
Q3
14.77%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-78.82%
Min
-207.40%
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. Pfizer (PFE): 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 Pfizer (PFE)
MetricCRLPFE
ROE (TTM)1.27%4.47%
ROA (TTM)4.74%5.59%
Net Margin (TTM)1.01%6.34%
Operating Margin (TTM)23.42%33.38%
Gross Margin (TTM)35.10%74.90%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at -0.85% and Pfizer (PFE) at -1.65% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

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

EPS Growth

Pfizer (PFE) at -3.55% 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.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and Pfizer (PFE)
MetricCRLPFE
Revenue Growth (YoY)-0.85%-1.65%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)0.33%-14.80%
EPS Growth (YoY)-1,555.00%-3.55%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)---37.12%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 1.41 and Pfizer (PFE) at 1.42 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

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.42

Max
25.13
Q3
12.13
Median
5.52
Q1
2.47
PFE
1.42
Min
0.10
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. Pfizer (PFE): 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 Pfizer (PFE) at 0.71 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

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.71

Max
1.42
PFE
0.71
Q3
0.65
Median
0.15
Q1
0.02
Min
0.00
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. Pfizer (PFE): 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 Pfizer (PFE)
MetricCRLPFE
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.411.42
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.870.71
Net Debt / EBITDA2.921.97

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 Pfizer (PFE) reports a yield of 7.30%, 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%

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

7.30%

PFE
7.30%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. Pfizer (PFE): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Pfizer (PFE) reports payout ratio above 100% at 245.71%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings; Charles River Laboratories (CRL) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%).

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%

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

245.71%

PFE
245.71%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. Pfizer (PFE): 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 Pfizer (PFE)
MetricCRLPFE
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%7.30%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%245.71%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Pfizer (PFE) at 41.99 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

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

41.99

Max
85.34
Q3
43.46
PFE
41.99
Median
26.69
Q1
13.30
Min
0.07
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. Pfizer (PFE): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Pfizer (PFE) at 2.63 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 4.07 prices around its industry’s middle — PFE 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

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

2.63

Max
58.18
Q3
25.77
Median
7.30
Q1
3.01
PFE
2.63
Min
0.01
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. Pfizer (PFE): 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 Pfizer (PFE) at 1.88 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

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.88

Max
13.53
Q3
6.54
Median
3.25
PFE
1.88
Q1
1.69
Min
-5.59
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Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. Pfizer (PFE): 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 Pfizer (PFE)
MetricCRLPFE
P/E Ratio (TTM)366.8741.99
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.072.63
P/B Ratio (MRQ)5.011.88
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.74%7.76%