Sterling Capital Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX)

Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX - Free Report) by 18.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,427 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,597 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC's holdings in IDEXX Laboratories were worth $4,311,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of IDXX. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of IDEXX Laboratories by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC now owns 382 shares of the company's stock valued at $158,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in IDEXX Laboratories by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,474 shares of the company's stock valued at $632,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of IDEXX Laboratories by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 810 shares of the company's stock valued at $335,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of IDEXX Laboratories by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 903 shares of the company's stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cardinal Capital Management raised its position in shares of IDEXX Laboratories by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 13,954 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,769,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on IDXX. StockNews.com downgraded IDEXX Laboratories from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of IDEXX Laboratories from $559.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of IDEXX Laboratories from $475.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of IDEXX Laboratories from $450.00 to $420.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of IDEXX Laboratories from $481.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $523.75.

IDEXX Laboratories Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ IDXX traded up $9.34 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $411.72. The company had a trading volume of 965,481 shares, compared to its average volume of 622,945. IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. has a 1-year low of $356.14 and a 1-year high of $548.88. The company has a market capitalization of $33.37 billion, a PE ratio of 38.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $423.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $431.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director M Anne Szostak sold 3,000 shares of IDEXX Laboratories stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.94, for a total transaction of $1,397,820.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,061 shares in the company, valued at $1,426,242.34. This trade represents a 49.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP George Fennell sold 9,986 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.53, for a total transaction of $4,618,824.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,176 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,781,645.28. This trade represents a 54.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.98% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.