Conagra Brands Inc vs Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc — how do they compare? Conagra Brands Inc trades at $15.01 (market cap $7.14B), while Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc trades at $286.54 (market cap $13.46B). The key difference: Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc is the larger of the two by market cap, and Conagra Brands Inc pays a 8.2% dividend while Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CAG | CRL | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $7.14B | $13.46B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Health |
52-Week High | $20.02 | $282.00 |
52-Week Low | $12.58 | $145.57 |
Enterprise Value | $14.20B | $16.30B |
Dividend Yield | 8.2% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Conagra Brands (CAG) trades at $14.985, up 1.39% with neutral technical signals. The company shows mixed fundamentals with a P/E of 10.06 and P/S of 0.63 suggesting undervaluation, but negative net income margin (-16.99%) and ROE (-25.06%) reflect profitability challenges. Recent earnings show two beats and one miss in the last four quarters, with Q3 2026 results pending. The company recently cut its dividend by 50% to prioritize debt reduction and operational improvements under new CEO John Brase.
CAG presents a turnaround story with attractive valuation metrics but faces significant headwinds including declining sales, margin pressure, and high debt levels. Analyst consensus is cautious with 62.5% hold ratings and a $13.67 price target below current levels. The dividend cut provides financial flexibility but signals ongoing challenges. Investors should weigh the discounted valuation against persistent operational pressures and weak growth outlook.
Charles River Laboratories (CRL) trades at $277.00, up 3.56% on the day and near its 52-week high of $277.07, reflecting strong bullish momentum. The stock exhibits positive technical signals with moving averages indicating an uptrend, though oscillators suggest overbought conditions. Fundamentally, the company reported Q2 2026 EPS of $3.02, beating estimates, and raised full-year guidance, yet faces profitability challenges with a negative net income margin of -5.96% and elevated valuation ratios like a P/E of 684.85. Recent news highlights improved biotech demand and institutional buying interest.
The outlook for CRL is cautiously optimistic, driven by earnings beats and raised guidance, but high valuation and weak profitability pose risks. Investment opportunity lies in sustained demand for drug development services, while risks include margin pressure, debt levels, and sensitivity to biotech funding cycles. The stock's proximity to all-time highs warrants monitoring for pullbacks.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Conagra Brands is a packaged food company that operates predominantly in the United States (over 90% of revenue and profits). It has a significant presence in the freezer aisle, with brands such as Marie Callender's, Healthy Choice, Banquet, and Birds Eye. Other popular brands include Duncan Hines, Hunt's, Slim Jim, Vlasic, Orville Redenbacher's, Reddi-wip, Wish-Bone, and Chef Boyardee. While the majority of revenue is sold into the U.S. retail channel, 9% of fiscal 2022 sales were to the food-service channel, down from 11% in fiscal 2019 due to the pandemic.
Read more on CAG →Charles River Laboratories was founded in 1947 and is a leading provider of drug discovery and development services. The company's research model & services segment is the leading provider of animal models for laboratory testing, which breeds and delivers animal research models with specific genetic characteristics for preclinical studies around the world. The discovery & safety assessment segment includes services required to take a drug through the early development process, including discovery services. The manufacturing support segment includes microbial solutions, which provides in vitro (non-animal) testing products, biologics testing services, and avian vaccine services.
Read more on CRL →