J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Purchases 1,234 Shares of IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX - Free Report) by 44.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,994 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,234 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.'s holdings in IDEXX Laboratories were worth $1,677,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of IDXX. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of IDEXX Laboratories by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,297,271 shares of the company's stock valued at $948,279,000 after purchasing an additional 37,734 shares during the period. Bamco Inc. NY lifted its stake in shares of IDEXX Laboratories by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 2,005,522 shares of the company's stock valued at $829,163,000 after purchasing an additional 82,264 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of IDEXX Laboratories by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,160,988 shares of the company's stock valued at $479,999,000 after purchasing an additional 74,324 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of IDEXX Laboratories by 58.3% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,126,002 shares of the company's stock valued at $472,865,000 after purchasing an additional 414,802 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of IDEXX Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $412,258,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.84% of the company's stock.

IDEXX Laboratories Trading Up 2.8%

IDEXX Laboratories stock traded up $15.22 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $565.19. 1,071,473 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 425,413. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $526.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $467.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.24, a PEG ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $356.14 and a fifty-two week high of $568.47.

IDEXX Laboratories (NASDAQ:IDXX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $998.43 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $998.25 million. IDEXX Laboratories had a return on equity of 57.35% and a net margin of 22.76%. The company's revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. will post 11.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on IDXX shares. Wall Street Zen raised IDEXX Laboratories from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 12th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on IDEXX Laboratories from $510.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on IDEXX Laboratories in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. They set a "buy" rating and a $625.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on IDEXX Laboratories from $548.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Leerink Partners raised their price objective on IDEXX Laboratories from $580.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, IDEXX Laboratories presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $557.88.

Insider Transactions at IDEXX Laboratories

In other IDEXX Laboratories news, Director M Anne Szostak sold 1,260 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $512.34, for a total transaction of $645,548.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $922,724.34. This represents a 41.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.98% of the company's stock.

About IDEXX Laboratories

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc develops, manufactures, and distributes products primarily for the companion animal veterinary, livestock and poultry, dairy, and water testing markets in Africa, the Asia Pacific, Canada, Europe, Latin America, and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Companion Animal Group; Water Quality Products; and Livestock, Poultry and Dairy.