Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc vs Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF — how do they compare? Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc trades at $288.87 (market cap $13.46B), while Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF trades at $381.97. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CRL | VTI | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.46B | — |
Sector | Health | — |
52-Week High | $282.00 | $381.78 |
52-Week Low | $145.57 | $311.68 |
Enterprise Value | $16.30B | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Charles River Laboratories (CRL) trades at $284.37, up 2.66% today and near its 52-week high, reflecting strong bullish momentum. The stock has consistently beaten earnings estimates in recent quarters, including a Q2 2026 EPS of $3.02 versus $2.77 expected, and the company raised its full-year guidance. Despite negative net income margins, operating cash flow remains robust at $738 million in 2025. Analyst sentiment is overwhelmingly positive with 26 buy ratings and a consensus price target of $277.29.
The outlook is supported by improving biotech demand and cost controls, but high valuation multiples and recent insider selling pose risks. Earnings growth and margin expansion are key catalysts, though profitability challenges and macroeconomic sensitivity could pressure the stock. Investors should weigh strong technicals and analyst support against fundamental weaknesses and execution risks.
VTI trades at $381.83, up 0.05% with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and strong institutional inflows. The ETF's 0.03% expense ratio and over 3,500 holdings provide broad U.S. equity exposure. Recent dividend of $1.04 was declared for June 2026.
Outlook remains positive due to low-cost diversification and steady institutional demand. Risks include market volatility and concentration in large-cap tech. Long-term growth potential is supported by historical performance but requires monitoring of economic conditions.
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 →The fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the index, which represents approximately 100% of the investable US stock market and includes large-, mid-, small-, and micro-cap stocks. It invests by sampling the index, meaning that it holds a broadly diversified collection of securities that, in the aggregate, approximates the full index in terms of key characteristics.
Read more on VTI →