Topic: Growth Stocks

IDEXX LABORATORIES INC. $84 – Nasdaq symbol IDXX

IDEXX LABORATORIES INC. $84 (Nasdaq symbol IDXX; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 54.6 million; Market cap: $4.6 billion; Priceto- sales ratio: 3.6; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.idexx.com) gets 83% of its revenue by making equipment that veterinarians use to detect diseases in pets. The remaining 17% comes from sales of systems that detect contaminants in livestock and water.

The company continues to enjoy strong demand for its new Pro-Cyte Dx hematology analyzer, which processes animal blood tests in just two minutes. That makes veterinarians less reliant on outside labs, and lowers their costs. This new model is attracting new customers and encouraging many of Idexx’s existing customers to upgrade.

In the three months ended March 31, 2013, Idexx earned $44.9 million, up 10.1% from $40.7 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 12.5%, to $0.81 from $0.72, on fewer shares outstanding. Revenue rose 2.9%, to $332.1 million from $322.7 million. Idexx spent 6.6% of its revenue on research in the quarter.

The company should earn $3.40 to $3.46 a share for the year. However, that’s down from its earlier forecast of $3.42 to $3.52 a share. The shares trade at 24.5 times the midpoint of the new range. That high p/e ratio makes the stock vulnerable to a sudden drop if Idexx fails to meet its revenue or earnings growth targets.

Idexx is a hold.

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