Does IDEXX Laboratories have an economic moat?
Likely
IDEXX Laboratories earns 37.2% a year on the money invested in it and keeps 62% of every sale after production costs, the numbers of a business competitors struggle to copy.
The numbers behind it
Return on invested capital, average of recent years37.2%
Return on invested capital, latest year42.8%
Gross margin61.8%Share of each sale left after production costs
Net margin24.6%
How we decide
A moat shows up in the numbers as high returns that last. We call it likely when the average return on invested capital over recent years is at least 15% and the gross margin at least 40%, and possible from 10%. The numbers can't show where a moat comes from (brand, network, patents), only that one seems to exist.
More questions about IDEXX Laboratories
Data as of Nov 13, 2026.