CRL vs. VRTX: Charles River Laboratories vs. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Comparison

Company Profile

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

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 Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) is defensive at 0.29 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

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) at 20.80% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 1.27% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for VRTX.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) at 30.70% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 1.01% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 23.42% and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) at 35.57% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) at 8.90% 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.

Only one side can be read here: Charles River Laboratories (CRL) reports EPS growth of -1,555.00%, ranked against its industry; Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 1.41 and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) at 2.34 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) at 0.31 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 0.87 uses more debt funding than most peers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Neither Charles River Laboratories (CRL) nor Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

Neither Charles River Laboratories (CRL) nor Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) at 35.21 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.

On P/S ratio, both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 4.07 and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) at 10.71 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 Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) at 6.63 carries an above-peer premium to book — VRTX is pricier on assets.

Valuation Metrics