Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc vs HCA Health Inc — how do they compare? Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc trades at $301.4 (market cap $14.23B), while HCA Health Inc trades at $450.18 (market cap $96.35B). The key difference: HCA Health Inc is far larger — about 6.8× Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc's market cap, and HCA Health Inc pays a 0.7% dividend while Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc for 33 Days and HCA Health Inc for 76 Days on average.
| CRL | HCA | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.23B | $96.35B |
Volume | 1,176,885 | 1,079,453 |
Sector | Health | Health |
52-Week High | $310.77 | $545.13 |
52-Week Low | $149.93 | $361.32 |
Typical Hold Time | 33 Days | 76 Days |
Enterprise Value | $17.06B | $146.88B |
Dividend Yield | — | 0.7% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
CRL trades at $304.01, up 1.24% on the day, near the consensus price target of $305.50. The stock shows a bullish technical trend with strong analyst support (73% buy ratings) and has beaten EPS estimates for three consecutive quarters. However, fundamentals reveal challenges with negative net income margins and a high P/E ratio of 684.85, while recent news highlights a strategic growth plan targeting 5-7% revenue growth and $300 million in savings by 2030.
The outlook is cautiously optimistic given strong analyst sentiment and recent earnings beats, but high valuation and profitability concerns pose risks. Investment opportunity hinges on successful execution of the new growth strategy to improve margins, while key risks include persistent negative earnings, competitive pressures, and execution missteps in achieving long-term targets.
HCA Healthcare trades at $451.09, up 2.71% with strong technical momentum and bullish analyst sentiment. The stock shows consistent earnings beats with Q4 2025 and Q1-Q2 2026 exceeding expectations, supported by robust revenue growth from $70.6B in 2024 to $75.6B in 2025. Valuation metrics remain attractive with P/E of 14.92 and P/S of 1.31, while technical indicators signal bullish momentum above key support levels.
The outlook remains positive with 63% analyst buy ratings and $461.12 consensus target, though legal investigations and high debt levels pose risks. Revenue growth and operational efficiency provide upside potential, but investors should monitor regulatory developments and debt management closely given the 80.9% debt-to-asset ratio in 2025.
Trailing returns across standard periods
What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days
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 →HCA Healthcare is a Nashville-based healthcare provider organization operating the largest collection of acute-care hospitals in the U.S. As of December 2021, the firm owned and operated 182 hospitals, 125 freestanding outpatient surgery centers, and a broad network of physician offices, urgent care clinics, and freestanding emergency rooms across nearly 20 states and a small foothold in England.
Read more on HCA →