Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Raises Stake in IDEX Corporation $IEX

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group sharply increased its stake in IDEX, boosting holdings by 586.2% in the fourth quarter to 29,409 shares valued at about $5.23 million.
• IDEX reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.00 versus the $1.78 estimate and revenue of $886.9 million, up 8.9% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.73 per share and issued upbeat guidance for Q2 2026 and fiscal 2026, while analysts maintained a generally positive outlook with an average price target of $240.22.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in IDEX Corporation (NYSE:IEX - Free Report) by 586.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,409 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 25,123 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in IDEX were worth $5,233,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of IEX. Nuance Investments LLC lifted its holdings in IDEX by 102.3% during the third quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 162,594 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $26,464,000 after purchasing an additional 82,223 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV purchased a new position in IDEX in the 3rd quarter valued at $887,000. Rockland Trust Co. acquired a new stake in shares of IDEX in the 3rd quarter worth $398,000. Numerai GP LLC increased its stake in shares of IDEX by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 62,313 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $10,142,000 after acquiring an additional 10,114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sienna Gestion acquired a new stake in shares of IDEX in the 3rd quarter worth $6,686,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.96% of the company's stock.

IDEX Stock Up 0.1%

IDEX stock opened at $208.99 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 2.40 and a current ratio of 3.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.02. IDEX Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $157.25 and a fifty-two week high of $223.85. The stock's fifty day moving average is $201.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.69.

IDEX (NYSE:IEX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.22. IDEX had a return on equity of 15.29% and a net margin of 14.38%.The business had revenue of $886.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $845.58 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.75 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. IDEX has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.070-2.120 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.350-8.550 EPS. Analysts predict that IDEX Corporation will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

IDEX Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. This is an increase from IDEX's previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. IDEX's payout ratio is 42.01%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Eric D. Ashleman sold 15,385 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.22, for a total value of $3,311,159.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 66,658 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,346,134.76. This trade represents a 18.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on IEX shares. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $242.00 price objective on shares of IDEX in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on IDEX from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Argus raised IDEX from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $240.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $257.00 target price on IDEX in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on IDEX from $225.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $240.22.

IDEX Profile

IDEX Corporation is a diversified industrial manufacturer specializing in the design, production and distribution of highly engineered fluidics systems, measurement technologies and safety solutions. The company's core offerings include positive-displacement pumps, flow meters, valves, sampling systems and analytical instruments that serve a wide range of end markets such as water treatment, chemical processing, energy, food and beverage, and life sciences. Through its focus on precision engineering and proprietary material science, IDEX delivers products designed for reliability in demanding applications.

Operations at IDEX are organized into three principal segments.

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