Photos courtesy of Charles River and Jackson Laboratories
James C. Foster, CEO of Charles River Laboratories, celebrated the company's five years of public trading by ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on June 13. He had a reason to mark the occasion.
Overall, the Wilmington-Del. based company has about a 50% share of the estimated $1.4 billion market in lab animals, according to Frank Pinkerton, a Banc of America Securities analyst who makes a market in Charles River Laboratories' (CRL) stock. Since going public in 2000, the company has moved from a loss of $11.2 million to a net income of $89.8 million. It reported an 11.3% increase in net sales in its research models and services division at the end of last year, and a 32% operating margin, compared to 12%–13% operating margins for its other divisions.
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