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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED December 25, 2021

Commission File No. 001-15943

CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code): (781) 222-6000

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files.) Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Large accelerated filer ☑ Accelerated filer ☐ Non-accelerated filer ☐

Smaller reporting company ☐ Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by a check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☑

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

On June 26, 2021, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $18,338,961,840. As of January 21, 2022, there were 50,486,047 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding, $0.01 par value per share.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for its 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders scheduled to be held on May 10, 2022, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) not later than 120 days after December 25, 2021, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. With the exception of the portions of the 2022 Proxy Statement expressly incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K by reference, such document shall not be deemed filed as part of this Form 10-K.

CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL, INC.

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL, INC.

PART I