Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Boosts Stake in IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX)

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its holdings in IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX - Free Report) by 2.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 111,412 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,763 shares during the period. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC owned about 0.14% of IDEXX Laboratories worth $46,787,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. AGF Management Ltd. purchased a new position in IDEXX Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at about $516,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in IDEXX Laboratories by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the company's stock valued at $697,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in IDEXX Laboratories by 79.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 453 shares of the company's stock valued at $187,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its holdings in IDEXX Laboratories by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 3,290 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,365,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its holdings in IDEXX Laboratories by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 18,913 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,806,000 after purchasing an additional 1,900 shares in the last quarter. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on IDXX. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of IDEXX Laboratories from $510.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of IDEXX Laboratories from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of IDEXX Laboratories from $548.00 to $558.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of IDEXX Laboratories in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $625.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Leerink Partners upped their price objective on shares of IDEXX Laboratories from $515.00 to $580.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, IDEXX Laboratories currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $558.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at IDEXX Laboratories

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

IDEXX Laboratories Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ IDXX traded down $7.72 on Friday, reaching $533.37. 348,343 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 648,553. IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $356.14 and a fifty-two week high of $549.52. The company has a 50 day moving average of $519.68 and a 200 day moving average of $459.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.89 billion, a PE ratio of 49.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 1.54.

IDEXX Laboratories (NASDAQ:IDXX - Get Free Report) last posted 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. IDEXX Laboratories had a net margin of 22.76% and a return on equity of 57.35%. The firm had revenue of $998.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $998.25 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. The company's revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. will post 11.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

IDEXX Laboratories Profile

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.