Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Raises Stock Holdings in IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX)

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its position in shares of IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX) by 44.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 610 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 188 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in IDEXX Laboratories were worth $252,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in IDXX. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in IDEXX Laboratories by 52,746.0% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 528,460 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,669,890,000 after acquiring an additional 527,460 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Seilern Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of IDEXX Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth about $113,104,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of IDEXX Laboratories by 3,325.0% during the 3rd 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 purchased a new position in shares of IDEXX Laboratories during the second quarter valued at about $47,542,000. Institutional investors own 87.84% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at IDEXX Laboratories

In related news, Director Sophie V. Vandebroek sold 344 shares of IDEXX Laboratories stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $420.44, for a total value of $144,631.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $380,498.20. This trade represents a 27.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.11% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Leerink Partners started coverage on shares of IDEXX Laboratories in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com upgraded IDEXX Laboratories from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 28th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded IDEXX Laboratories to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of IDEXX Laboratories from $559.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $517.29.

IDEXX Laboratories Stock Up 1.3 %

NASDAQ:IDXX opened at $423.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market cap of $34.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 1.36. IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $398.50 and a fifty-two week high of $583.39. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $423.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $454.80.

IDEXX Laboratories (NASDAQ:IDXX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.69 by $0.11. IDEXX Laboratories had a net margin of 22.53% and a return on equity of 55.42%. The company had revenue of $975.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $980.32 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.53 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

IDEXX Laboratories Company 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.