Merit Financial Group LLC Purchases Shares of 761 IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX)

Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $315,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of IDXX. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in IDEXX Laboratories by 52,746.0% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 528,460 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,669,890,000 after buying an additional 527,460 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in IDEXX Laboratories by 265.6% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 435,049 shares of the company’s stock worth $179,867,000 after purchasing an additional 316,048 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in IDEXX Laboratories by 696.0% during the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 352,814 shares of the company’s stock valued at $171,891,000 after acquiring an additional 308,493 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its position in shares of IDEXX Laboratories by 3,325.0% during the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 220,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $111,229,000 after purchasing an additional 213,731 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in IDEXX Laboratories in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $47,542,000. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other IDEXX Laboratories news, Director Sophie V. Vandebroek sold 344 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $420.44, for a total transaction of $144,631.36. Following the transaction, the director now owns 905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $380,498.20. This represents a 27.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.11% of the company’s stock.

IDEXX Laboratories Price Performance

IDXX opened at $435.33 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.65 billion, a PE ratio of 41.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The business’s 50-day moving average is $423.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $456.68. IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. has a 1 year low of $398.50 and a 1 year high of $583.39.

IDEXX Laboratories (NASDAQ:IDXX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.69 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $975.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $980.32 million. IDEXX Laboratories had a net margin of 22.53% and a return on equity of 55.42%. IDEXX Laboratories’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.53 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IDXX has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of IDEXX Laboratories from $630.00 to $575.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 11th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on IDEXX Laboratories from $510.00 to $500.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Leerink Partnrs raised IDEXX Laboratories to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded IDEXX Laboratories from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 28th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of IDEXX Laboratories from $570.00 to $481.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Two 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $523.86.

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.