Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc vs CarMax, Inc — how do they compare? Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc trades at $301.79 (market cap $14.23B), while CarMax, Inc trades at $52.61 (market cap $7.64B). The key difference: Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc is the larger of the two by market cap, and Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc is trading nearer its 52-week high, CarMax, Inc nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc for 33 Days and CarMax, Inc for 49 Days on average.
| CRL | KMX | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.23B | $7.64B |
Volume | 1,176,885 | 3,610,116 |
Sector | Health | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $310.77 | $64.22 |
52-Week Low | $149.93 | $30.88 |
Typical Hold Time | 33 Days | 49 Days |
Enterprise Value | $17.06B | $25.34B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Charles River Laboratories (CRL) trades at $298, down 0.77% on the day, with strong analyst support showing 73% buy ratings and a $305.50 consensus price target. The stock maintains a bullish technical outlook with support at $292 and resistance at $301, while recent earnings have consistently beaten expectations despite negative net income margins. The company's 2026 Investor Day highlighted a strategic vision targeting 5-7% organic growth and $300 million in savings by 2030.
CRL presents a compelling growth story with solid operational cash flow and strategic initiatives, though investors face risks from negative profitability metrics and elevated valuation multiples. The stock's current position near analyst targets suggests limited upside without improved earnings execution, while ongoing margin pressures and debt levels require careful monitoring amid the company's transformation efforts.
CarMax (KMX) trades at $53.79, up 0.96% with a bearish technical outlook despite recent earnings beats. The company reported strong Q2 2027 results with EPS of $1.16 beating expectations by 58%, driven by 19.5% revenue growth to $7.9 billion. Valuation metrics show a P/E of 25.37 and P/S of 0.28, while profitability remains challenged with a 1.06% net margin. The stock faces resistance near $54-55 with support at $52-53 levels.
KMX shows early turnaround progress with improved sales volume and earnings, but faces margin pressure and high debt levels. The consensus price target of $58.89 suggests 9.5% upside potential, though analyst sentiment is cautious with 62% hold ratings. Key risks include competitive pricing pressure and macroeconomic sensitivity to used car demand.
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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 →CarMax sells, finances, and services used and new cars through a chain of over 230 used retail stores. It was formed in 1993 as a unit of Circuit City and spun off into an independent company in late 2002. Used-vehicle sales typically account for about 83% of revenue and wholesale about 13%, with the remaining portion composed of extended service plans and repair. In fiscal 2022, the company retailed and wholesaled 924,338 and 706,212 used vehicles, respectively. CarMax is the largest used-vehicle retailer in the U.S. but still estimates that it has only about 4% U.S. market share of vehicles 0-10 years old in 2021. It seeks over 5% share by the end of calendar 2025 and revenue between $33 billion to $45 billion by fiscal 2026. CarMax is based in Richmond, Virginia.
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