Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE: CRL) today reported its results for the second quarter ended June 27, 2026.

Key Highlights

• Reports second-quarter revenue of $1.00 billion, GAAP loss per share of $(0.03), and non-GAAP earnings per share of $3.02.
  • Organic revenue growth of 0.1% reached the highest level since the third quarter of 2023.
  • Non-GAAP operating margin increased 420 basis points on a sequential basis to 20.5%, while the GAAP operating margin was essentially flat on a sequential basis at 11.9%.
• Increases 2026 guidance for revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share.
  • Organic revenue guidance increasing by 150 basis points and non-GAAP earnings per share guidance increasing by $0.25 at midpoint.
  • Guidance increases primarily driven by improving demand trends in the DSA segment and better-than-expected performance in the Manufacturing segment.
• Repurchased $100 million of common stock in the second quarter at an average price of $174 per share to enhance shareholder value.
• To refine and further strengthen its portfolio, the Company completed the divestitures of certain European Discovery Services sites as well as the CDMO and Cell Solutions businesses in May 2026.
• To further deepen its client relationships, the Company has joined Eli Lilly's TuneLab AI/ML platform by providing non-clinical testing expertise to optimize drug discovery and advance R&D modernization efforts. Additionally, it has collaborated with Arovella Therapeutics to provide in vitro Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) services, which was added through the PathoQuest acquisition. This collaboration will accelerate progress towards Arovella's alternative cancer treatment approaches.
• To advance its modernization efforts, Charles River introduced an enhanced digital pathology solution to drive efforts to further digitize and automate the Company. This AI-enabled, end-to-end workflow will deliver improved study turnaround times and increased pathologist efficiency.

Second-Quarter Results

Revenue was $1.00 billion, a decrease of 2.7% from $1.03 billion in the second quarter of 2025. On an organic basis, revenue increased 0.1%, driven by revenue growth in the Manufacturing Solutions (Manufacturing) and Discovery and Safety Assessment (DSA) segments, offset by a decline in the Research Models and Services (RMS) segment. Organic revenue growth excludes the effect of acquisitions, divestitures, and foreign currency translation.

In the second quarter of 2026, the GAAP operating margin was 11.9%, compared to 9.7% in the second quarter of 2025. The increase in the GAAP operating margin was primarily driven by the CDMO business, including lower accelerated amortization expense related to certain client relationships. The GAAP net loss available to common shareholders for the second quarter of 2026 was $(1.5) million, or $(0.03) per diluted share, compared to GAAP net income of $52.3 million, or $1.06 per diluted share for the same period in 2025. The decrease was principally due to a loss related to the CDMO and Cell Solutions divestiture totaling $63.7 million, or $1.40 per share.

On a non-GAAP basis, the second-quarter operating margin decreased to 20.5% from 22.1% in the second quarter of 2025, primarily as a result of higher study-related direct costs in the DSA segment and higher unallocated corporate costs. Non-GAAP net income was $146.2 million for the second quarter of 2026, a decrease of 5.0% from $154.0 million for the same period in 2025. Second-quarter diluted earnings per share on a non-GAAP basis were $3.02, a decrease of 3.2% from $3.12 per share in the second quarter of 2025. The non-GAAP net income and earnings per share decreases were driven primarily by the lower operating margin. The earnings per share decrease was partially offset by investment gains associated with the Company's deferred compensation plan, which totaled a net benefit of $0.19 per share in the second quarter.

Birgit Girshick, Chief Executive Officer, said, "We made excellent progress in the second quarter on the execution of our Pathway to Purpose strategy. We are actively evaluating opportunities to modernize the Company and drive greater efficiency, to strengthen our leading drug development portfolio centered on regulated testing, and to further enhance our growth profile. We are focused on continuing to move forward on achieving our strategic initiatives and financial goals, which will strengthen our foundation and underpin our future success."

"We were encouraged that the demand environment continued to strengthen in the second quarter, particularly for our DSA segment, as evidenced by the fact that we recorded the highest net book-to-bill in nearly four years. This improvement was broad based across our global biopharmaceutical and small and mid-sized biotechnology clients, and it is our goal to continue to capture additional share of our clients’ R&D spending by providing client-centric solutions and by leveraging our global scale and deep scientific expertise. As a result of our collective efforts, we delivered on our second-quarter financial targets – exceeding our prior outlook – and are raising our revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share guidance for the year," Ms. Girshick concluded.

Second-Quarter Segment Results

Research Models and Services (RMS)

Revenue for the RMS segment was $209.5 million in the second quarter of 2026, a decrease of 1.8% from $213.3 million in the second quarter of 2025. Organic revenue decreased by 1.4%, due primarily to lower revenue for small research models in North America, as well as for research model services. The decline was partially offset by higher revenue for small research models in China.

In the second quarter of 2026, the RMS segment’s GAAP operating margin increased to 17.3% from 16.8% in the second quarter of 2025, primarily due to lower amortization of intangible assets related to the sale of the Cell Solutions business. On a non-GAAP basis, the operating margin decreased to 24.5% from 25.3%. The non-GAAP operating margin decrease was primarily driven by the impact of lower sales volume and an unfavorable geographic revenue mix.

Discovery and Safety Assessment (DSA)

Revenue for the DSA segment was $606.5 million in the second quarter of 2026, a decrease of 1.9% from $618.0 million in the second quarter of 2025. Organic revenue increased by 0.2%, driven primarily by higher study volume for regulated safety assessment services.

In the second quarter of 2026, the DSA segment’s GAAP operating margin increased to 20.5% from 19.9% in the second quarter of 2025. The increase was primarily driven by lower amortization of intangible assets related to the divestiture of certain European Discovery Services sites and lower third-party legal costs related to a non-human primate (NHP) supply matter. On a non-GAAP basis, the operating margin decreased to 25.6% from 27.4% in the second quarter of 2025. The non-GAAP operating margin decrease was primarily driven by higher study-related direct costs.

Manufacturing Solutions (Manufacturing)

Revenue for the Manufacturing segment was $188.1 million in the second quarter of 2026, a decrease of 6.3% from $200.8 million in the second quarter of 2025, primarily driven by the CDMO divestiture. Organic revenue increased 1.3%, driven primarily by higher revenue in the Microbial Solutions business.

The Manufacturing segment’s GAAP operating margin was 34.9%, compared to 6.0% in the second quarter of 2025. On a non-GAAP basis, the operating margin increased to 37.8% from 32.8% in the second quarter of 2025. The GAAP and non-GAAP increases were driven primarily by the CDMO business, including the benefit from the divestiture.

Stock Repurchase Update

The Company repurchased 1.7 million shares for a total of $300.0 million during the year-to-date period ended June 27, 2026, including 0.6 million shares for a total of $100.0 million in the second quarter of 2026. As of June 27, 2026, the Company had $700.0 million remaining under its $1.0 billion stock repurchase authorization that was approved by the Board of Directors on October 29, 2025.

2026 Guidance Update

The Company is increasing its 2026 revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share guidance, which was last updated on May 7, 2026. This increase primarily reflects the expected operational outperformance for the year, including in the second quarter, due primarily to improving demand trends in the DSA segment and better-than-expected performance in the Manufacturing segment. For the year, the Company expects the second-quarter investment gains associated with the deferred compensation plan will be largely offset by a higher tax rate, resulting in a negligible net impact to non-GAAP earnings per share.

On a GAAP basis, the Company is reducing its earnings per share guidance due primarily to the net loss related to the divestitures.

The Company’s 2026 guidance for revenue and earnings per share is as follows:

Webcast

Charles River has scheduled a live webcast on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. ET to discuss matters relating to this press release. To participate, please go to ir.criver.com and select the webcast link. You can also find the associated slide presentation and reconciliations of GAAP financial measures to non-GAAP financial measures on the website.

Investor Day

Charles River will host an Investor Day on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. ET. The meeting will be webcast live on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at ir.criver.com.

Non-GAAP Reconciliations

The Company reports non-GAAP results in this press release, which exclude often-one-time charges and other items that are outside of normal operations. A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP results is provided in the schedules at the end of this press release.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains non-GAAP financial measures, such as non-GAAP earnings per share, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin, and non-GAAP net income. Non-GAAP financial measures exclude, but are not limited to, the amortization of intangible assets and the purchase accounting step-up adjustment on inventory and certain long term biological assets, and other charges and adjustments related to our acquisitions and divestitures, including expenses associated with evaluating and integrating acquisitions and divestitures, including advisory fees, certain transition costs, and certain other transaction-related costs, as well as fair value adjustments associated with contingent consideration; charges, gains, and losses attributable to businesses or properties we plan to close, consolidate, or divest, including the divestitures of our CDMO and Cell Solutions businesses, the sale of certain of our European Discovery Services sites, and the sale of certain assets including real estate; severance and other costs associated with our restructuring initiatives; investment gains or losses associated with our venture capital and certain other strategic equity investments; certain legal costs and adjustments related to an NHP inventory charge in our DSA segment related to now concluded U.S. government investigations into the NHP supply chain; legal and advisory costs related to entering into a Cooperation Agreement with a shareholder; tax effect of all of the aforementioned matters; and adjustments related to the derecognition of certain deferred tax assets due to the CDMO Gene Therapy intangible asset impairment charge, the recognition of deferred tax assets expected to be utilized as a result of changes to the Company's international financing structure, and the revaluation of deferred tax liabilities as a result of foreign tax legislation. This press release also refers to our revenue on both a GAAP and non-GAAP basis: on a non-GAAP basis, we define “organic revenue growth” as reported revenue growth adjusted for foreign currency translation, acquisitions, and divestitures. We exclude these items from the non-GAAP financial measures because they are outside our normal operations. There are limitations in using non-GAAP financial measures, as they are not presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and may be different than non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. In particular, we believe that the inclusion of supplementary non-GAAP financial measures in this press release helps investors to gain a meaningful understanding of our core operating results and future prospects without the effect of these often-one-time charges, and is consistent with how management measures and forecasts the Company's performance, especially when comparing such results to prior periods or forecasts. We believe that the financial impact of our acquisitions and divestitures (and in certain cases, the evaluation of such acquisitions and divestitures, whether or not ultimately consummated) is often large relative to our overall financial performance, which can adversely affect the comparability of our results on a period-to-period basis. In addition, certain activities and their underlying associated costs, such as business acquisitions, generally occur periodically but on an unpredictable basis. We calculate non-GAAP integration costs to include third-party integration costs incurred post-acquisition. Presenting revenue on an organic basis allows investors to measure our revenue growth exclusive of acquisitions, divestitures, and foreign currency exchange fluctuations more clearly. Non-GAAP results also allow investors to compare the Company’s operations against the financial results of other companies in the industry who similarly provide non-GAAP results. The non-GAAP financial measures included in this press release are not meant to be considered superior to or a substitute for results of operations presented in accordance with GAAP. The Company intends to continue to assess the potential value of reporting non-GAAP results consistent with applicable rules and regulations. Reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures used in this press release to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are set forth in this press release, and can also be found on the Company’s website at ir.criver.com.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” “would,” “may,” “estimate,” “plan,” “outlook,” and “project,” and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These statements also include statements regarding: the projected and/or anticipated future financial performance of Charles River and our specific businesses, including as delineated in our forward-looking guidance, and particularly our expectations with respect to revenue, the impact of foreign exchange, interest rates, and enhanced efficiency initiatives; our expectations with respect to our ability to gain market share; our ability to create long-term value for our shareholders and successfully execute on our strategic initiatives, including the impact and results of such initiatives; the Company’s plans or prospects, expectations and long-term goals associated with our business; earnings per share; operating margin; client demand, particularly the future demand for drug discovery and development products and services, including our expectations for future revenue trends; our expectations with respect to booking trends and the impacts thereof; our expectations with respect to pricing of our products and services; our expectations with respect to future tax rates and the impact of such tax rates on our business; our expectations with respect to the impact of acquisitions and divestitures, including the acquisition of the assets of K.F. (Cambodia) Ltd. and of PathoQuest SAS, the divestitures of the Company's CDMO and Cell Solutions businesses, the sale of certain of our European Discovery Services sites, and the sale of certain assets including real estate; our service offerings, client perception, strategic relationships, revenue, revenue growth rates, revenue growth drivers, and earnings; the development and performance of our services and products, including our investments in our portfolio; market and industry conditions including the outsourcing of services and identification of spending trends by our clients and funding available to them; ability to gain market share and capitalize on business and growth opportunities; the impact of our restructuring initiatives, including annualized savings; and the impact of our stock repurchase authorization. Forward-looking statements are based on Charles River’s current expectations and beliefs, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by the forward-looking statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the impact of NHP supply constraints; changes and uncertainties in the global economy and financial markets, including disruptions in the global economy caused by geopolitical conflicts; the ability to successfully integrate businesses we acquire, and risks and uncertainties associated with businesses that we acquire; the timing and magnitude of our share repurchases; negative trends in research and development spending, negative trends in the level of outsourced services, or other cost reduction actions by our clients; the ability to convert backlog to revenue; demand and booking trends; special interest groups; contaminations; industry trends; new displacement technologies; USDA and FDA regulations; changes in law; continued availability of products and supplies; the impact of unauthorized access into our information systems; loss of key personnel; interest rate and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; changes in tax regulation and laws; changes in generally accepted accounting principles; and any changes in business, political, or economic conditions due to the threat of future terrorist activity in the U.S. and other parts of the world, and related U.S. military action overseas. A further description of these risks, uncertainties, and other matters can be found in the Risk Factors detailed in Charles River's Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed on February 18, 2026, as well as other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Because forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, actual results and events may differ materially from results and events currently expected by Charles River, and Charles River assumes no obligation and expressly disclaims any duty to update information contained in this press release except as required by law.

About Charles River

Charles River provides essential products and services to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, government agencies and leading academic institutions around the globe accelerate their research and drug development efforts. Our dedicated employees are focused on providing clients with exactly what they need to improve and expedite the discovery, early-stage development and safe manufacture of new therapies for the patients who need them. To learn more about our unique portfolio and breadth of services, visit www.criver.com. 

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