IDXX vs ZTS vs ELAN Stock Comparison

Idexx Laboratories, Zoetis and Elanco Animal Health Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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ZTS Zoetis Inc.
$80.99 +13.1% 1M -44.7% 1Y
Market cap
$33.59B
P/E
12.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$9.52B
Div. yield
0.03%
Animal Health Healthcare
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Idexx Laboratories leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Idexx Laboratories 7, Zoetis 3, Elanco Animal Health 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionIDXXZTSELANLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $44.93B $33.59B $11.38B IDXX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 39.4x 12.8x -57.2x ZTS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 35.9x 13.8x 20.5x ZTS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +12.8% +1.5% +12.0% IDXX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 25.0% 27.5% -4.0% ZTS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 45.6% 23.4% 6.1% IDXX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.5x 1.8x 2.5x IDXX
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.03% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -12.2% -44.7% +3.4% ELAN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -3.0%/yr -17.2%/yr -7.9%/yr IDXX
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 32.0% 40.5% 42.2% IDXX
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 77/100 71/100 67/100 IDXX

Percentile Scorecard

IDXXZTSELAN

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisIDXXZTSELAN
Valuation 75 #159 of 624 88 #79 of 624 94 #39 of 624
Growth 75 #149 of 603 51 #295 of 603 58 #252 of 603
Profitability 97 #17 of 555 96 #22 of 555 83 #93 of 555
Financial Health 46 #355 of 657 33 #439 of 657 32 #447 of 657
Shareholder Returns 93 #27 of 370 89 #41 of 370 –
Overall 77 71 67
  • IDXX ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • ZTS ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • ELAN ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodIDXXZTSELANSPY
1 month +7.3%+13.1%-0.3% -1.0%
3 months +3.0%+7.5%-9.6% +2.9%
6 months -1.0%-30.7%-1.1% +6.4%
Year to date -17.2%-35.6%-0.5% +11.4%
1 year -12.2%-44.7%+3.4% +13.1%
3 years +30.1%-51.5%+147.9% +79.4%
3 years, per year +9.2%-21.5%+35.4% +21.5%
5 years -14.0%-61.2%-33.6% +67.7%
5 years, per year -3.0%-17.2%-7.9% +10.9%
10 years +407.2%+59.0%— +255.2%
10 years, per year +17.6%+4.7%— +13.5%

Risk

MeasureIDXXZTSELANSPY
Volatility, 1Y 32.0%40.5%42.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.3%49.2%43.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.800.531.30 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.38-1.100.08 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -51.3%-72.0%-76.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -26.9%-45.1%-16.1% -2.5%
52-week high $766.68$147.53$26.84 $779.14
52-week low $504.70$69.12$19.80 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleIDXXZTSELAN
P/E now vs peer median 38.8xmedian 17.2x 12.9xmedian 17.2x -56.5xmedian 17.2x
P/S now vs peer median 9.7xmedian 8.8x 3.5xmedian 8.8x 2.2xmedian 8.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 27.9xmedian 16.0x 10.1xmedian 16.0x 11.0xmedian 16.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 35.2xmedian 17.8x 14.5xmedian 17.8x 29.7xmedian 17.8x
P/B now vs peer median 27.4xmedian 2.1x 10.7xmedian 2.1x 1.7xmedian 2.1x
PEG now vs peer median 2.57median 0.32 1.37median 0.32 2.87median 0.32

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsIDXXZTSELAN
Revenue $4.55B $9.52B $5.02B
Gross profit $2.84B $6.81B $2.78B
Operating income $1.46B $3.59B $637.00M
Net income $1.14B $2.62B -$199.00M
Free cash flow $1.25B $2.32B $379.00M
R&D $261.47M $722.00M $371.00M
EPS (diluted) $14.37 $6.26 $-0.39
Cash & equivalents $196.93M $1.48B $530.00M
Total debt $4.03B $34.20B $3.92B
Shares (diluted) 79.31M 417.70M 505.90M
Enterprise value $44.14B $25.44B $9.38B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricIDXXZTSELAN
P/E 38.8x 12.9x -56.5x
P/FCF 35.2x 14.5x 29.7x
P/Operating cash flow 32.2x 11.8x 18.2x
P/S 9.7x 3.5x 2.2x
P/B 27.4x 10.7x 1.7x
P/Tangible book 29.2x 15.0x 3.3x
EV/EBITDA 27.9x 10.1x 11.0x
EV/EBIT 30.8x 11.4x 23.0x
EV/Revenue 9.9x 4.3x 2.9x
EV/FCF 35.9x 17.7x 38.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 32.8x 14.4x 23.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.57 1.37 2.87

Growth

14 metrics
MetricIDXXZTSELAN
Revenue growth (1Y) 12.8% 1.5% 12.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 5.0% 5.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 14.4% 1.8% 13.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 10.5% 5.7% 3.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) 16.2% -0.1% 2,648%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 11.7% 5.2% 32.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 15.6% 0.6% -145.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 12.9% 5.7% -20.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 18.1% 7.7% -145.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 15.1% 9.4% -19.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 51.4% -4.6% 7.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.5% 12.4% 73.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 59.9% 2.1% 5.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 28.4% 21.7% 101.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricIDXXZTSELAN
Gross margin 62.4% 71.5% 55.4%
EBITDA margin 35.4% 42.8% 26.5%
Operating margin 32.0% 37.7% 12.7%
Pretax margin 31.3% 34.4% -3.3%
Net margin 25.0% 27.5% -4.0%
FCF margin 27.5% 24.3% 7.5%
Operating cash flow margin 30.1% 29.8% 12.3%
Return on equity 71.9% 82.0% -3.0%
Return on assets 33.4% 17.3% -1.5%
Return on invested capital 45.6% 23.4% 6.1%
Return on capital employed 68.6% 27.5% 5.5%
Asset turnover 1.3x 0.6x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 1.1x -3.1x
Stock comp / revenue 1.4% 1.0% 1.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricIDXXZTSELAN
Debt / assets 28.1% 60.0% 28.9%
Debt / equity 0.6x 2.9x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.5x 1.8x 2.5x
Debt / FCF 0.8x 3.9x 10.3x
Liabilities / assets 53.2% 79.1% 51.4%
Equity / assets 46.8% 20.9% 48.6%
Interest coverage 38.6x 15.1x 2.6x
Current ratio 1.2x 3.1x 2.1x
Quick ratio 0.7x 1.6x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.8x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 20.14 4.81 1.45

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricIDXXZTSELAN
Dividend yield – 2.6% –
Net buyback yield 2.4% 10.9% –
Shareholder yield 2.4% 13.4% –
Payout ratio (earnings) – 34.0% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 38.4% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 6.1% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 10.9% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusIDXXZTSELAN
Forward P/E 35.9xFY2026 13.8xFY2026 20.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $15.62FY2026 $5.86FY2026 $1.10FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +19.4%FY2026 -8.6%FY2026 +17.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +13.0% +13.5% +23.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $5.00BFY2026 $9.56BFY2026 $4.78BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +16.3%FY2026 +0.9%FY2026 +1.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.6% -7.6% +19.9%
IDXX estimates →ZTS estimates →ELAN estimates →

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersIDXXZTSELAN
Held by institutions 93.6% 94.7% 100.0%
Institutions holding 1,289 1,417 523
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.1% -2.6% +4.4%
Institutions buying 587 674 246
Institutions selling 496 582 209
Buyers to sellers 1.18 1.16 1.18
IDXX holders →ZTS holders →ELAN holders →

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

IDXXZTSELAN
IDXX 1.00 0.43 0.40
ZTS 0.43 1.00 0.44
ELAN 0.40 0.44 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry
IDXX · Animal Health
+MRKMerck +CORCencora +CHWYChewy +NEOGNeogen +BFLYButterfly Network +PAHCPhibro Animal Health +ANIKAnika Therapeutics +ICCCImmucell
Plot all 33 Animal Health stocks →

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, IDXX, ZTS and ELAN?

Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) is the largest by market capitalisation: Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) $44.93B, Zoetis (ZTS) $33.59B, Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) $11.38B.

Which stock is cheaper, IDXX, ZTS and ELAN?

Zoetis (ZTS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 39.4x, Zoetis (ZTS) 12.8x, Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) -57.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Zoetis (ZTS) is cheapest (Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 35.9x, Zoetis (ZTS) 13.8x, Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) 20.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) +12.8%, Zoetis (ZTS) +1.5%, Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) +12.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Zoetis (ZTS) has the highest net margin (Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 25.0%, Zoetis (ZTS) 27.5%, Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) -4.0%). On return on invested capital, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) leads (Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 45.6%, Zoetis (ZTS) 23.4%, Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) 6.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) returned the most: Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) -12.2%, Zoetis (ZTS) -44.7%, Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) +3.4%. Over five years, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) compounded fastest (Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) -3.0%/yr, Zoetis (ZTS) -17.2%/yr, Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) -7.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 0.00%, Zoetis (ZTS) 0.03%, Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) 0.00%. Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) and Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) has been the steadiest (Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 32.0%, Zoetis (ZTS) 40.5%, Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) 42.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, IDXX, ZTS and ELAN?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) leads on 7. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.