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Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

Charles River Laboratories International vs The Estée Lauder Companies: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Charles River Laboratories International holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across growth and profitability. The Estée Lauder Companies still has the edge on growth, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. On the market side, Charles River Laboratories International is in better shape — its trend is intact while The Estée Lauder Companies's trend has broken down. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — Charles River Laboratories International's lead looks more confirmed than conflicted.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-08-16

On growth, the clearer edge sits with The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., while the overall score remains tighter and points the other way.

Trajectory Similarity
0.72
Similar
Peer-set rank: #7
within Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.'s functional peer set

This comparison is anchored in long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

The pair sits on a clearly comparable long-term path, though it is not a near-twin match.

The match is driven mainly by revenue stability and capital structure.

Similarity drivers
revenue stabilitycapital structure
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
CRL
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.
37
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
EL
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
31
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: CRL vs EL Profitability 43 21 Stability 20 14 Valuation 68 55 Growth 0 28 CRL EL
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +28
#2 Profitability +22
#3 Valuation +13
#4 Stability +6
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for CRL and EL Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer CRLEL Relative valuation Structural strength

The structural gap is limited here, but current pricing still leans against The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

Valuation position uses Forward P/E where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where CRL and EL each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY CRL Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 64 pct gap EL Lower · above norm 0th 50th 100th 88th 23rd
Today EL sits in the lower portion of its own 5-year history (23rd percentile), while CRL sits higher in its own history (88th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, EL is at a historically more favourable entry position than CRL. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
Both sit in the weaker half on growth, with The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. still coming out ahead.
Profitability
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. holds the stronger peer position on profitability.
Growth — Dominant Gap
CRL
0
EL
28
Gap+28in favour of EL

The current lead is backed by a stronger multi-year growth trajectory.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. still shows lower market-fundamental divergence, which keeps the wider picture mixed rather than completely one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both growth and profitability — though growth still provides a counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the CRL vs EL comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

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Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how CRL and EL each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.