CRL vs. WAT: Charles River Laboratories vs. Waters Stock Comparison
How do Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and Waters (WAT) 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 Waters (WAT) are both classified in the Life Sciences Tools & Services sub-industry within the broader Life Sciences Tools & Services industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.
| Profile Item | CRL | WAT |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. | Waters Corporation |
| Country/Region | United States | United States |
| GICS Sector | Health Care | Health Care |
| GICS Industry Group | Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences | Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences |
| GICS Industry | Life Sciences Tools & Services | Life Sciences Tools & Services |
| GICS Sub-Industry | Life Sciences Tools & Services | Life Sciences Tools & Services |
| Market Capitalization | 16.17 billion USD | 44.93 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | NYSE | NYSE |
| Listing Date | June 23, 2000 | November 17, 1995 |
| Security Type | Common Stock | Common Stock |
Price Performance
Cumulative Growth
Trailing Returns
Calendar-Year Returns
Performance Metrics
| Metric | CRL | WAT |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | 110.83% | 27.70% |
| Total Return (3Y, Annualized) | 27.87% | 23.32% |
| Total Return (5Y, Annualized) | -1.57% | 6.27% |
Risk Profile
Drawdown History
Return Distribution
Risk Metrics
| Metric | CRL | WAT |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility (1Y, Annualized) | 47.81% | 35.45% |
| Beta (5Y) | 1.33 | 1.13 |
| Max Drawdown (5Y) | -74.73% | -36.47% |
| Avg. Volume (3M) | 1.05M | 816.72K |
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Return Positioning
Risk-Adjusted Metrics
| Metric | CRL | WAT |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio (1Y) | 2.23 | 0.66 |
| Sortino Ratio (1Y) | 3.58 | 0.98 |
Profitability
ROE (TTM)
Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 1.27% and Waters (WAT) at 1.12% 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%
WAT
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
1.12%
- Max
- 109.18%
- Q3
- 6.23%
- WAT
- 1.12%
- Median
- -26.66%
- Q1
- -64.05%
- Min
- -167.77%
Net Margin (TTM)
Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 1.01% and Waters (WAT) at 1.76% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.
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%
WAT
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
1.76%
- Max
- 18.05%
- Q3
- 4.78%
- WAT
- 1.76%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- -4.14%
- Min
- -17.05%
Operating Margin (TTM)
Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 23.42% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Waters (WAT) at 11.38%, which runs around its industry’s norm.
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%
WAT
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
11.38%
- Max
- 83.12%
- Q3
- 14.77%
- WAT
- 11.38%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- -78.82%
- Min
- -207.40%
Profitability Metrics
| Metric | CRL | WAT |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM) | 1.27% | 1.12% |
| ROA (TTM) | 4.74% | 2.36% |
| Net Margin (TTM) | 1.01% | 1.76% |
| Operating Margin (TTM) | 23.42% | 11.38% |
| Gross Margin (TTM) | 35.10% | 49.83% |
Growth
Revenue Growth
Waters (WAT) at 6.99% 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.
EPS Growth
Waters (WAT) at 0.47% 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
| Metric | CRL | WAT |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (YoY) | -0.85% | 6.99% |
| Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR) | 0.33% | 2.12% |
| EPS Growth (YoY) | -1,555.00% | 0.47% |
| EPS Growth (3Y CAGR) | -- | -2.84% |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio (MRQ)
Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: Charles River Laboratories (CRL) shows current ratio of 1.41 against its industry benchmark, while Waters (WAT) has no reading this period.
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
WAT
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
--
- Max
- 25.13
- Q3
- 12.13
- Median
- 5.52
- Q1
- 2.47
- Min
- 0.10
- WAT
- --
Debt / Equity (MRQ)
Waters (WAT) at 0.34 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 0.87 uses more debt funding than most peers.
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
WAT
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
0.34
- Max
- 1.42
- Q3
- 0.65
- WAT
- 0.34
- Median
- 0.15
- Q1
- 0.02
- Min
- 0.00
Financial Strength Metrics
| Metric | CRL | WAT |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | 1.41 | -- |
| Debt / Equity (MRQ) | 0.87 | 0.34 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 2.92 | 3.23 |
Dividends
Dividend Yield (TTM)
Neither Charles River Laboratories (CRL) nor Waters (WAT) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.
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%
WAT
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
0.00%
- WAT
- 0.00%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)
Neither Charles River Laboratories (CRL) nor Waters (WAT) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.
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%
WAT
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
0.00%
- WAT
- 0.00%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Metrics
| Metric | CRL | WAT |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Valuation
P/E Ratio (TTM)
Both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 366.87 and Waters (WAT) at 191.46 trade above their industries’ P/E ratio peer ranges, pointing to unusually expensive trailing earnings relative to peers.
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
WAT
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
191.46
- WAT
- 191.46
- Max
- 85.34
- Q3
- 43.46
- Median
- 26.69
- Q1
- 13.30
- Min
- 0.07
P/S Ratio (TTM)
On P/S ratio, both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 4.07 and Waters (WAT) at 8.01 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.
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
WAT
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
8.01
- Max
- 58.18
- Q3
- 25.77
- WAT
- 8.01
- Median
- 7.30
- Q1
- 3.01
- Min
- 0.01
P/B Ratio (MRQ)
On P/B ratio, both Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 5.01 and Waters (WAT) at 2.94 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
WAT
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
2.94
- Max
- 13.53
- Q3
- 6.54
- Median
- 3.25
- WAT
- 2.94
- Q1
- 1.69
- Min
- -5.59
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | CRL | WAT |
|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio (TTM) | 366.87 | 191.46 |
| P/S Ratio (TTM) | 4.07 | 8.01 |
| P/B Ratio (MRQ) | 5.01 | 2.94 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM) | 2.74% | -- |