CRL vs. ZTS: Charles River Laboratories vs. Zoetis Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and Zoetis (ZTS) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but CRL is classified in Life Sciences Tools & Services while ZTS 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 Zoetis (ZTS) is defensive at 0.66 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

Zoetis (ZTS) at 57.63% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 1.27% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for ZTS.

Zoetis (ZTS) at 26.41% 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 Zoetis (ZTS) at 38.19% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Zoetis (ZTS) at 2.28% 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.

Zoetis (ZTS) at 10.05% 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 Zoetis (ZTS) at 2.35 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

Both balance sheets lean debt-heavy versus peers, but ZTS is more stretched: Charles River Laboratories (CRL) at 0.87 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and Zoetis (ZTS) at 2.80 is above its industry benchmark range.

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 Zoetis (ZTS) reports a yield of 2.55%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Charles River Laboratories (CRL) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Zoetis (ZTS) reports a payout of 35.24%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Zoetis (ZTS) at 13.50 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 Zoetis (ZTS) at 3.40 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 Zoetis (ZTS) at 9.80 carries an above-peer premium to book — ZTS is pricier on assets.

Valuation Metrics