CRL vs ICLR vs FTRE Stock Comparison

Charles River Laboratories International, Icon and Fortrea Holdings Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ICLR Icon Plc
$214.16 +22.0% 1M +20.5% 1Y
Market cap
$16.88B
P/E
37.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.23B
Div. yield
–
Contract Research Healthcare
6 wins
FTRE Fortrea Holdings Inc.
$25.88 +29.0% 1M +143.7% 1Y
Market cap
$2.19B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$2.68B
Div. yield
–
Contract Research Healthcare
1 win

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

Icon leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Icon 6, Charles River Laboratories International 3, Fortrea Holdings 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCRLICLRFTRELeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $18.05B $16.88B $2.19B CRL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -75.7x 37.6x -25.7x –
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 34.3x 20.9x 32.0x ICLR
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -0.7% +1.8% -2.1% ICLR
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -6.0% 5.4% -3.2% ICLR
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 1.6% 4.7% -0.7% ICLR
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 6.3x 2.3x 13.1x ICLR
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +99.1% +20.5% +143.7% FTRE
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -3.6%/yr -5.7%/yr — CRL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 45.9% 75.3% 70.5% CRL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 43/100 81/100 50/100 ICLR

Percentile Scorecard

CRLICLRFTRE

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCRLICLRFTRE
Valuation 50 #6 of 11 100 #1 of 11 90 #2 of 11
Growth 10 #10 of 11 70 #4 of 11 60 #5 of 11
Profitability 70 #4 of 11 80 #3 of 11 50 #6 of 11
Financial Health 42 #8 of 13 75 #4 of 13 0 #13 of 13
Shareholder Returns – – –
Overall 43 81 50
  • CRL ranked among 13 companies in Pharma Services
  • ICLR ranked among 13 companies in Pharma Services
  • FTRE ranked among 13 companies in Pharma Services

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCRLICLRFTRESPY
1 month +27.0%+22.0%+29.0% +0.9%
3 months +59.4%+20.2%+26.9% +5.9%
6 months +128.4%+84.4%+145.1% +8.5%
Year to date +87.6%+17.5%+50.0% +13.3%
1 year +99.1%+20.5%+143.7% +12.4%
3 years +116.8%-9.0%-6.0% +88.1%
3 years, per year +29.4%-3.1%-2.0% +23.5%
5 years -16.6%-25.3%— +68.2%
5 years, per year -3.6%-5.7%— +11.0%
10 years +392.3%+166.6%— +263.4%
10 years, per year +17.3%+10.3%— +13.8%

Risk

MeasureCRLICLRFTRESPY
Volatility, 1Y 45.9%75.3%70.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 42.8%87.9%63.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.281.482.01 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 2.160.272.04 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -77.8%-76.9%-89.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%0.0%0.0% -0.9%
52-week high $374.16$214.16$25.88 $779.14
52-week low $149.93$80.08$8.87 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCRLICLRFTRE
P/E now vs peer median -75.3xmedian 37.4x 37.4xmedian 37.4x -28.8xmedian 37.4x
P/S now vs peer median 4.5xmedian 2.7x 2.0xmedian 2.7x 0.9xmedian 2.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 52.3xmedian 39.5x 17.3xmedian 39.5x 49.6xmedian 39.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 48.2xmedian 22.1x 19.1xmedian 22.1x 12.6xmedian 22.1x
P/B now vs peer median 6.3xmedian 3.4x 1.8xmedian 3.4x 4.7xmedian 3.4x
PEG now vs peer median 2.08median 2.08 -15.76median 2.08 0.60median 2.08

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCRLICLRFTRE
Revenue $4.00B $8.23B $2.68B
Gross profit $1.31B $1.93B $516.60M
Operating income $90.14M $718.25M -$10.80M
Net income -$239.23M $448.66M -$85.20M
Free cash flow $370.61M $857.06M $196.00M
EPS (diluted) $-4.97 $5.68 $-0.90
Cash & equivalents $192.03M $808.98M $168.60M
Total debt $2.62B $3.38B $1.05B
Shares (diluted) 48.02M 78.97M 94.80M
Enterprise value $17.24B $13.65B $1.57B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCRLICLRFTRE
P/E -75.3x 37.4x -28.8x
P/FCF 48.2x 19.1x 12.6x
P/Operating cash flow 30.7x 16.0x 10.8x
P/S 4.5x 2.0x 0.9x
P/B 6.3x 1.8x 4.7x
P/Tangible book 6.9x 2.7x -39.3x
EV/EBITDA 52.3x 17.3x 49.6x
EV/EBIT 225.0x 26.4x -309.9x
EV/Revenue 5.1x 2.3x 1.3x
EV/FCF 54.7x 22.1x 17.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 34.8x 18.5x 14.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.08 -15.76 0.60

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCRLICLRFTRE
Revenue growth (1Y) -0.7% 1.8% -2.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -1.5% 0.9% -0.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -0.1% -13.4% -4.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -5.5% -6.5% -10.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) -27.6% 53.9% 98.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -48.2% -7.0% -27.7%
Net income growth (1Y) -268.7% 55.9% 91.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -35.5% -4.4% -38.4%
EPS growth (1Y) -253.8% 30.1% 92.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -36.2% -2.4% -47.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -26.1% -9.9% 359.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -2.3% 15.8% -3.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -35.9% -11.1% 290.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.6% 18.4% 0.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCRLICLRFTRE
Gross margin 32.7% 23.4% 19.3%
EBITDA margin 9.7% 13.3% 2.5%
Operating margin 2.3% 8.7% -0.4%
Pretax margin -4.6% 6.3% -2.9%
Net margin -6.0% 5.4% -3.2%
FCF margin 9.3% 10.4% 7.3%
Operating cash flow margin 14.6% 12.5% 8.5%
Return on equity -8.2% 7.6% -16.2%
Return on assets -3.1% 4.3% -3.2%
Return on invested capital 1.6% 4.7% -0.7%
Return on capital employed 1.4% 5.3% -0.6%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -2.4x 2.3x -2.7x
Stock comp / revenue 2.1% 1.1% 2.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCRLICLRFTRE
Debt / assets 34.8% 20.8% 38.8%
Debt / equity 0.9x 0.4x 2.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 6.3x 2.3x 13.1x
Debt / FCF 7.1x 3.9x 5.4x
Liabilities / assets 62.2% 43.8% 80.7%
Equity / assets 37.8% 56.2% 19.3%
Interest coverage 0.8x 3.4x –
Current ratio 1.3x 1.3x 1.0x
Quick ratio 0.8x 0.9x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.3x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 3.17 2.27 0.90

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCRLICLRFTRE
Dividend yield – – –
Net buyback yield 1.8% 2.3% –
Shareholder yield 1.8% 2.3% –
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCRLICLRFTRE
Forward P/E 34.3xFY2026 20.9xFY2026 32.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $10.90FY2026 $10.25FY2026 $0.81FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +6.0%FY2026 -18.2%FY2026 +88.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +20.5% +22.2% +22.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $3.82BFY2026 $8.52BFY2026 $2.77BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -4.9%FY2026 +3.2%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.7% -3.2% -3.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCRLICLRFTRE
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 570 422 329
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.7% +5.5% -0.2%
Institutions buying 270 233 139
Institutions selling 204 138 108
Buyers to sellers 1.32 1.69 1.29

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CRLICLRFTRE
CRL 1.00 0.51 0.55
ICLR 0.51 1.00 0.47
FTRE 0.55 0.47 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CRL, ICLR and FTRE?

Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) $18.05B, Icon (ICLR) $16.88B, Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) $2.19B.

Which company is growing faster?

Icon (ICLR) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) -0.7%, Icon (ICLR) +1.8%, Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) -2.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Icon (ICLR) has the highest net margin (Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) -6.0%, Icon (ICLR) 5.4%, Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) -3.2%). On return on invested capital, Icon (ICLR) leads (Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) 1.6%, Icon (ICLR) 4.7%, Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) -0.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) returned the most: Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) +99.1%, Icon (ICLR) +20.5%, Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) +143.7%. Over five years, Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) compounded fastest (Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) -3.6%/yr, Icon (ICLR) -5.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) has been the steadiest (Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) 45.9%, Icon (ICLR) 75.3%, Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) 70.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CRL, ICLR and FTRE?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Icon (ICLR) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.