Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc vs Western Digital Corp — how do they compare? Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc trades at $288.87 (market cap $13.46B), while Western Digital Corp trades at $456.8 (market cap $150.95B). The key difference: Western Digital Corp is far larger — about 11.2× Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc's market cap, and Western Digital Corp pays a 0.14% dividend while Charles River Laboratories Intl. Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CRL | WDC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $13.46B | $150.95B |
Sector | Health | Technology |
52-Week High | $282.00 | $746.23 |
52-Week Low | $145.57 | $74.66 |
Enterprise Value | $16.30B | $150.42B |
Dividend Yield | — | 0.14% |
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.
Western Digital (WDC) trades at $454.50, up 3.74% in the last session, with a bearish technical signal but strong fundamental performance. Recent earnings beats, including Q2 2026 EPS of $3.56 versus $3.31 expected, highlight robust AI-driven storage demand. The stock is near resistance at $458, with a consensus analyst price target of $665.15 suggesting significant upside potential.
Outlook is positive due to sustained AI infrastructure growth and margin expansion, but risks include valuation concerns and competitive threats. Analyst consensus is strongly bullish with 72% buy ratings, though technical indicators signal near-term caution. Investors should weigh strong earnings momentum against potential volatility from stretched valuations.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →Western Digital is a vertically integrated supplier of data storage solutions, spanning both hard disk drives and solid-state drives. In the HDD market it forms a practical duopoly with Seagate, and it is the largest global producer of NAND flash chips for SSDs in a joint venture with competitor Kioxia.
Read more on WDC →