Bio-Rad Laboratories vs Charles River Laboratories
Charles River Laboratories reported revenue of $4.0 billion in fiscal 2025, 1.6 times Bio-Rad Laboratories' $2.6 billion in fiscal 2025. Bio-Rad Laboratories' revenue grew 0.7% in its latest year, and Charles River Laboratories' fell 0.8%. Bio-Rad Laboratories had an operating margin of 1.8%, against 0.6% at Charles River Laboratories. Free cash flow was $375 million at Bio-Rad Laboratories and $518 million at Charles River Laboratories. Their fiscal years end in different months (December 31 and December 27), so the periods don't line up exactly.
Side by side
| Bio-Rad Laboratories | Charles River Laboratories | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest fiscal year | FY2025, Dec 31, 2025 | FY2025, Dec 27, 2025 |
| Revenue | $2.6B | $4.0B |
| Revenue growth | 0.7% | −0.8% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 5 years | 0.3% | 6.5% |
| Gross margin | 51.9% | — |
| Operating margin | 1.8% | 0.6% |
| Net margin | 29.4% | −3.6% |
| Free cash flow | $375M | $518M |
| Free cash flow margin | 14.5% | 12.9% |
| Return on capital | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | −1.6x | 4.5x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $296M | $361M |
| Change in diluted share count | −3.3% | −4.0% |
| Last close | $372.43 | $357.27 |
| P/E at the last close | 46.6× | — |
| Insider trades, last 12 months | sold $349,883 | bought $7,338, sold $52.1 million |
| Piotroski F-score | 5 of 9 | 4 of 8 |
Amounts in each company's own currency, US$ unless marked (a foreign company may report in another), each company's latest fiscal year from its 10-K, or 20-F or 40-F for a foreign company. Growth rates compare with the year before; the five-year rate is the average a year. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending; return on capital is after-tax operating income over the money invested in the business; P/E is the last close over the latest earnings per share. Banks are measured differently (return on equity, efficiency ratio), so some rows apply to one company only.
Ten years
Revenue
US$ billions, fiscal years
Bio-Rad LaboratoriesCharles River Laboratories
Operating margin
Percent of revenue
Bio-Rad LaboratoriesCharles River Laboratories
Free cash flow
US$ billions. Cash from operations minus capital expenditure.
Bio-Rad LaboratoriesCharles River Laboratories
Source: the companies' Form 10-K filings, from SEC EDGAR, and the last close. For information only, not investment advice: the figures describe results, not which company is the better investment. The Filing Desk is not affiliated with either company. Full figures on the Bio-Rad Laboratories and Charles River Laboratories pages.