Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc vs Freeport-McMoRan Inc — how do they compare? Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc trades at $285.99 (market cap $13.43B), while Freeport-McMoRan Inc trades at $67 (market cap $93.56B). The key difference: Freeport-McMoRan Inc is far larger — about 7× Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc's market cap, and Freeport-McMoRan Inc pays a 0.9% dividend while Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CRL | FCX | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.43B | $93.56B |
Sector | Health | Basic Materials |
52-Week High | $284.37 | $71.73 |
52-Week Low | $145.57 | $35.34 |
Enterprise Value | $16.26B | $99.84B |
Dividend Yield | — | 0.9% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Charles River Laboratories (CRL) trades at $281.27, near its 52-week high, with a slight 0.26% decline. The stock shows bullish technical signals, including strong moving averages, despite overbought RSI readings. Recent Q2 2026 earnings beat estimates with EPS of $3.02 versus $2.74 expected, and the company raised full-year guidance, reflecting improved biotech demand. However, fundamentals reveal challenges, with a negative net income margin of -5.96% and elevated P/E ratio of 684.85, indicating high valuation relative to profitability.
Outlook: CRL benefits from positive analyst sentiment (72% buy ratings) and institutional accumulation, but risks include profitability pressures, high debt, and reliance on biotech sector health. The consensus price target of $277.29 suggests limited upside, urging caution despite operational improvements.
FCX trades at $66.83, down 2.98% on the day, but maintains a bullish technical trend with strong analyst support. The company has beaten earnings estimates for three consecutive quarters, with Q3 2026 expected at $0.72 EPS. Revenue remains stable around $25.9B, while net income margin improved to 11.38% in 2026. Recent news highlights operational challenges like lower copper volumes but also growth initiatives at Grasberg and Bagdad.
The outlook is positive with a consensus price target of $73.85, implying ~10% upside. Key opportunities include exposure to high copper prices and expansion projects, while risks involve production volatility, cost pressures, and reliance on commodity cycles. The stock's valuation appears elevated with a P/E of 33.93, requiring sustained earnings growth to justify further gains.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →Freeport-McMoRan Inc is an international mining company. It operates geographically diverse assets with proven and probable mineral reserves of copper, gold and molybdenum. The company's portfolio of assets includes the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia
Read more on FCX →