Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc vs F5 Inc — how do they compare? Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc trades at $284.91 (market cap $13.46B), while F5 Inc trades at $419.73 (market cap $23.44B). The key difference: F5 Inc is the larger of the two by market cap. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CRL | FFIV | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.46B | $23.44B |
Sector | Health | Technology |
52-Week High | $282.00 | $431.26 |
52-Week Low | $145.57 | $223.99 |
Enterprise Value | $16.30B | $22.08B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
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.
F5 (FFIV) trades at $414.00, up 0.98% in the last session, with a bullish technical signal and strong earnings beats in recent quarters. Revenue grew to $3.09 billion in 2025, with a net income margin of 21.95%, while the company raised its annual revenue forecast on robust cybersecurity demand (Reuters, 2026-07-27). The stock is near resistance at $417, with RSI indicating mild overbought conditions.
The outlook remains positive due to consistent earnings outperformance and AI-driven security growth, but risks include high valuation multiples (P/E of 32.98) and competitive pressures. Analysts maintain a moderate buy consensus with a $430.43 price target, suggesting potential upside from current levels.
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 →F5 is a market leader in the application delivery controller market. The company sells products for networking traffic, security, and policy management. Its products ensure applications are safely routed in efficient manners within on-premises data centers and across cloud environments. More than half of its revenue is based on providing services, and its three customer verticals are enterprises, service providers, and government entities. The Seattle-based firm was incorporated in 1996 and generates sales globally.
Read more on FFIV →