Howard Capital Management Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX)

Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,304 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 67 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in IDEXX Laboratories were worth $953,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in IDEXX Laboratories by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 672 shares of the company’s stock worth $340,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service increased its stake in shares of IDEXX Laboratories by 7.3% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 185,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,957,000 after purchasing an additional 12,647 shares in the last quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of IDEXX Laboratories by 230.5% during the 4th quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 10,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,174,000 after purchasing an additional 7,041 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in IDEXX Laboratories by 17,238.5% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,254 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,139,000 after buying an additional 2,241 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in IDEXX Laboratories by 4,059.4% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 2,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,450,000 after buying an additional 2,801 shares during the last quarter. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

IDEXX Laboratories Stock Performance

IDEXX Laboratories stock opened at $452.77 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $37.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 1.37. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $431.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $452.18. IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. has a 1-year low of $398.50 and a 1-year high of $583.39.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on IDXX shares. Bank of America increased their target price on IDEXX Laboratories from $475.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of IDEXX Laboratories to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of IDEXX Laboratories from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of IDEXX Laboratories from $481.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of IDEXX Laboratories from $559.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Four 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 data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $533.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sophie V. Vandebroek sold 344 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $420.44, for a total value of $144,631.36. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $380,498.20. The trade was a 27.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director M Anne Szostak sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.94, for a total transaction of $1,397,820.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,061 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,426,242.34. This trade represents a 49.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 13,330 shares of company stock worth $6,161,276. Company insiders own 2.11% of the company’s stock.

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.