Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc vs Dollar General Corp. — how do they compare? Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc trades at $286.87 (market cap $13.46B), while Dollar General Corp. trades at $120.01 (market cap $26.49B). The key difference: Dollar General Corp. is the larger of the two by market cap, and Dollar General Corp. pays a 1.97% dividend while Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CRL | DG | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.46B | $26.49B |
Sector | Health | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $282.00 | $156.26 |
52-Week Low | $145.57 | $95.94 |
Enterprise Value | $16.30B | $40.93B |
Dividend Yield | — | 1.97% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Charles River Laboratories (CRL) trades at $286.36, up 3.38% today and near its 52-week high of $277.07. The stock shows strong technical momentum with bullish moving averages and has beaten earnings estimates for three consecutive quarters. Recent Q2 2026 results exceeded expectations with EPS of $3.02 versus $2.77 estimate, driving positive sentiment. However, valuation metrics remain elevated with P/E at 684.85 and negative profitability margins.
While technical indicators and analyst consensus (72% buy ratings) support near-term upside, fundamental concerns persist with negative net income margin (-5.96%) and ROE (-7.7%). The stock faces execution risks in maintaining earnings momentum amid competitive pressures. Current price exceeds consensus target of $277.29, suggesting limited near-term upside potential despite positive business inflection.
Dollar General (DG) trades at $119.40, down 2.44% on the day, with a bullish technical signal despite recent weakness. The stock shows strong fundamentals with a P/E of 16.98 and P/S of 0.62, while consistently beating earnings expectations in recent quarters. Revenue growth continues with $40.61B in 2025, though profit margins have compressed from 7.01% in 2022 to 2.77% in 2025. Analyst consensus remains positive with 52% buy ratings and a $128.45 price target, representing 7.6% upside potential.
DG presents a compelling value opportunity with reasonable valuation metrics and consistent earnings beats, though margin compression and competitive pressures pose risks. The stock's current price near support levels combined with positive analyst sentiment suggests potential for recovery, but investors should monitor margin trends and competitive dynamics in the discount retail sector.
Trailing returns across standard periods
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 →A leading American discount retailer, Dollar General operates over 18,000 stores in 47 states, selling branded and private-label products across a wide variety of categories. In fiscal 2021, 77% of net sales came from consumables (including paper and cleaning products, packaged and perishable food, tobacco, and health and beauty items), 12% from seasonal merchandise (such as toys, greeting cards, decorations, and gardening supplies), 7% from home products (for example, kitchen supplies, small appliances, and cookware), and 4% from basic apparel. Stores average roughly 7,400 square feet, and about 75% of Dollar General locations are in towns of 20,000 or fewer people. The firm emphasizes value, with most of its items sold at everyday low prices of $5 or less.
Read more on DG →