Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc vs Altria Group Inc — how do they compare? Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc trades at $297.28 (market cap $14.23B), while Altria Group Inc trades at $71.2 (market cap $119.25B). The key difference: Altria Group Inc is far larger — about 8.4× Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc's market cap, and Altria Group Inc pays a 6.22% 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 Altria Group Inc for 154 Days on average.
| CRL | MO | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.23B | $119.25B |
Volume | 1,176,885 | 11,178,169 |
Sector | Health | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $310.77 | $74.92 |
52-Week Low | $149.93 | $54.72 |
Typical Hold Time | 33 Days | 154 Days |
Enterprise Value | $17.06B | $141.46B |
Dividend Yield | — | 6.22% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Charles River Laboratories (CRL) trades at $300.30, down 1.53% on the day, with strong analyst support showing 73% buy ratings and a $305.50 consensus target. The stock maintains a bullish technical signal with support at $295 and resistance at $306. Recent earnings have consistently beaten expectations, though the company faces profitability challenges with negative net income margins and elevated valuation multiples.
While CRL shows promising growth initiatives including 5-7% revenue targets and $300M savings by 2030, investors face risks from negative profitability, high debt levels, and premium valuations. The stock's near-term catalyst will be Q3 2026 earnings against $2.97 EPS expectations, with technical positioning suggesting limited downside from current levels.
Altria Group (MO) trades at $69.39, up 1.22% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages. The stock shows strong profitability with a 39% net income margin and a 6.6% dividend yield, though recent earnings have been mixed with two misses in the last four quarters. Cash flow improved in 2025 with net cash flow of $1.33 billion, but the balance sheet carries negative equity of -$2.24 billion due to high liabilities.
The outlook is balanced: analyst consensus is bullish with a $69.71 price target, but risks include regulatory pressures on tobacco, declining margins, and high debt. The dividend appears sustainable from cash flow, yet negative equity and business shrinkage pose long-term concerns for income-focused investors.
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 →Altria comprises Philip Morris USA, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, John Middleton, Helix Innovations, and Philip Morris Capital, although the company plans to wind down Philip Morris Capital by the end of 2022. It holds a 10% interest in the world's largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev. Through its tobacco subsidiaries, Altria holds the leading position in cigarettes and smokeless tobacco in the United States and the number-two spot in machine-made cigars. The company's Marlboro brand is the leading cigarette brand in the U.S. with a 43% share in 2020. Altria holds strategic investments in JUUL Labs (35% economic interest) and Cronos (42%).
Read more on MO →