# How IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/idxx
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on IDXX alone. It places IDXX (IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.) against 19 popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where IDXX stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: IDXX's full trading record, from June 1991 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** IDXX is 27.2% below its high, bear-market territory, while the S&P 500 sits 1.3% below a record. Over the past 6 months, IDXX fell 4.3% while the S&P 500 rose 9.1%.
- **Stock or market?:** The weakness is IDXX's own: it fell 1.0% over the past 3 months while the animal health ETF IHI (iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF) rose 7.5%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its animal health peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: TMO (Thermo Fisher Scientific) rose 30.7%, while QDEL (QuidelOrtho) fell 14.3%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** IDXX has gone against the market, falling 13.3% over the past year while the S&P 500 rose 15.8%. The same gap shows up over 3 years (30.7% against 89.3%). A ahead of 81% of stocks worth at least $300 million over 10 years, but behind 61% of the stocks worth at least $300 million over 3 years.
- **Long term:** IDXX turned $10,000 into $49,800 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. Even so, over 5 years IDXX trailed the index: 13.1% against 81.7%.
- **In a crash:** Across seven sell-offs, IDXX has typically fallen 1.3 times as far as the S&P 500. In the 2022 bear market, IDXX fell 46.4%, against 24.5% for the S&P 500. That was more than TMO (Thermo Fisher Scientific, 19.8%) but less than ELAN (Elanco Animal Health, 59.5%).
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, IDXX has a correlation of 0.68 over 5 years, more closely than 98% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is more of the same, not a cushion. IDXX fell in 19 of the 22 months the S&P 500 fell over the past 5 years: it usually fell with it.
- **Better options**
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** ORLY (O'Reilly Automotive, specialty retail) and LLY (Eli Lilly and Company, pharmaceuticals) earned more than IDXX with less volatility over the past 5 years. ORLY returned 15.9% a year at 23.4% volatility, against a loss of 2.8% a year at 35.7%.
  - **Versus the S&P 500:** Simply owning the S&P 500 would have done better over the past 5 years: 12.7% a year at 17.1% volatility, against 2.8% at 35.7% for IDXX.
  - **Whole market:** 1,777 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than IDXX with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AAPL (Apple), GOOG (Alphabet) and MSFT (Microsoft).

## How much would $10,000 in IDXX have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in IDXX over the past 29 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of IDXX over the same span and IDXX's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in IDXX at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $1,246,340 by September 2026, more than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of IDXX, and MNST finished highest, at $45,663,831.

## IDXX at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the stock, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- IDXX is still 27.2% below its all-time high.
- IDXX's deepest decline since it began trading in 1991 was 73.1%, from October 2006 to June 2007. It was back at its old high within a month of the low.
- Over 29 full calendar years, IDXX's best was 2020, when it returned 91.4%, and its worst was 1999, when it lost 40.1%. It lost money in six of those years.

- Type: Stock, Healthcare (Medical - Diagnostics & Research)
- Trading since: June 21, 1991
- Market value: $44B
- Volatility (5 years): 35.7%; Sharpe ratio: 0.10
- Worst decline ever: −73.1%, from October 16, 2006 to June 13, 2007; back at its high by June 28, 2007

| Period | IDXX total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +8.3% |
| 3 months | −1.0% |
| 6 months | −4.3% |
| year to date | −16.7% |
| 1 year | −13.3% |
| 3 years | +30.7% |
| 5 years | −13.1% |
| 10 years | +398% |

## IDXX against the whole market

Where IDXX ranks among every stock and fund, and what across the market has done better.

### How does IDXX rank among all stocks?

This section ranks IDXX on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every stock worth at least $300 million with enough history.

- IDXX's 10-year return ranks in the top 19% of the 2,202 stocks worth at least $300 million with 10 years of history.

| Measure | IDXX | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | −13.3% | 2,451 of 3,287 (top 75%) |
| 3-year return | +30.7% | 1,836 of 3,017 (top 61%) |
| 5-year return | −13.1% | 1,922 of 2,893 (top 67%) |
| 10-year return | +398% | 421 of 2,202 (top 20%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 35.7% | 1,185 of 2,893 (top 41%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.10 | 2,125 of 2,893 (top 74%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −54.0% | 618 of 2,187 (top 29%) |

### What has beaten IDXX on both return and risk?

Each dot is an investment, placed by how much it earned a year over the past 5 years (higher is better) and how much its price swung, its volatility (further left is calmer).

- 840 stocks and 937 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than IDXX over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 49% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half IDXX's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 31% less than IDXX's 35.7%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.10 for IDXX. MPC earned the most, 51.2% a year, while still swinging less than IDXX (33.4% against 35.7%).
- Among IDXX's popular alternatives, DGX, LH and WAT are in the region. DGX earned 12.3% a year against a loss of 2.8% a year for IDXX, at 22.5% volatility, 37% less than IDXX's 35.7%.

### Is there a better investment than IDXX?

The table below lists investments that beat IDXX over the past 5 years on at least one of these measures: a higher annual return with lower volatility, a higher annual return at similar volatility, a similar return with lower volatility, a higher Sharpe ratio with a smaller worst decline, a higher total return in most periods from 3 months to 10 years, or smaller losses in recent market crashes.

- Among IDXX's popular alternatives, TMO, DGX and LH earned more than IDXX with less volatility over the past 5 years. TMO returned 2.9% a year at 27.8% volatility, against a loss of 2.8% a year at 35.7%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, ORLY (specialty retail) and LLY (pharmaceuticals) earned more than IDXX with less volatility over the past 5 years. ORLY returned 15.9% a year at 23.4% volatility, against a loss of 2.8% a year at 35.7%.
- Simply owning the S&P 500 would have done better over the past 5 years: 12.7% a year at 17.1% volatility, against 2.8% at 35.7% for IDXX.

The 15 strongest of 1,777 investments that beat IDXX over the past 5 years, out of 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million.

| Investment | Group | Annual return (5 years) | Volatility | Sharpe | Worst decline (10 years) | 10Y return | Correlation with IDXX | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| IDXX: IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (this page) |  | −2.8% | 35.7% | 0.10 | −54.0% | +398% |  |  |
| [GOOG](https://easycompare.io/research/goog): Alphabet Inc. | Internet Services | +19.0% | 32.0% | 0.71 | −44.6% | +752% | 0.42 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | Software | +12.5% | 28.2% | 0.56 | −37.1% | +946% | 0.45 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [COST](https://easycompare.io/research/cost): Costco Wholesale Corporation | Discount Retail | +17.4% | 22.9% | 0.82 | −31.4% | +685% | 0.55 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [QQQ](https://easycompare.io/research/qqq): Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | US Large-Cap Growth | +14.5% | 23.0% | 0.71 | −35.1% | +553% | 0.58 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [LIN](https://easycompare.io/research/lin): Linde plc | Chemicals | +11.5% | 20.9% | 0.63 | −32.6% | +394% | 0.46 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [VGT](https://easycompare.io/research/vgt): Vanguard Information Technology ETF | Technology Equity | +18.4% | 26.0% | 0.78 | −35.1% | +779% | 0.51 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [PGR](https://easycompare.io/research/pgr): The Progressive Corporation | Property & Casualty Insurance | +21.3% | 25.6% | 0.89 | −30.3% | +816% | 0.11 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [RSG](https://easycompare.io/research/rsg): Republic Services, Inc. | Environmental Services | +13.9% | 18.5% | 0.80 | −34.0% | +446% | 0.33 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | Banks | +17.3% | 18.2% | 0.97 | −40.0% | +352% | 0.52 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MSI](https://easycompare.io/research/msi): Motorola Solutions, Inc. | Communications Equipment | +14.8% | 23.6% | 0.71 | −32.8% | +625% | 0.37 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [FAST](https://easycompare.io/research/fast): Fastenal Company | Industrial Distribution | +15.8% | 24.6% | 0.72 | −30.7% | +576% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [SCHG](https://easycompare.io/research/schg): Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF | US Large-Cap Growth | +13.1% | 22.4% | 0.67 | −34.5% | +451% | 0.62 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [CAH](https://easycompare.io/research/cah): Cardinal Health, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +42.1% | 24.7% | 1.55 | −46.1% | +349% | 0.24 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [AAPL](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl): Apple Inc. | Computer Hardware | +18.5% | 28.0% | 0.75 | −38.5% | +1,168% | 0.46 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VTI](https://easycompare.io/research/vti): Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | US Total Market | +11.5% | 17.5% | 0.71 | −35.0% | +302% | 0.69 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## IDXX against its popular alternatives

The investments people most often weigh against IDXX, compared period by period and year by year.

### How do IDXX's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- Eight of the 19 popular alternatives, led by DGX, LH and WAT, were both more rewarding and calmer than IDXX over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, IDXX returned -2.8% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (35.7% against 17.1%).

### Has IDXX consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares IDXX with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years.

- Six of the 19 popular alternatives, led by VEEV, TMO and A, outperformed IDXX in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- VEEV outperformed IDXX in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- DGX, LH and WAT earned more for the risk they took than IDXX (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in their worst decline of the past 10 years.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of IDXX | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| IDXX: IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (this page) | −13.3% | +30.7% | −13.1% | +398% |  |  | 0.10 |
| [VEEV](https://easycompare.io/research/veev): Veeva Systems Inc. | +11.5% | +59.0% | −0.4% | +715% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.19 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | +26.8% | +49.5% | +15.1% | +366% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.24 |
| [A](https://easycompare.io/research/a): Agilent Technologies, Inc. | +22.0% | +62.1% | +13.8% | +306% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.24 |
| DGX: Quest Diagnostics Incorporated | +26.5% | +103% | +78.5% | +243% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.63 |
| LH: Labcorp Holdings Inc. | +12.2% | +67.4% | +42.4% | +184% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.42 |
| [WAT](https://easycompare.io/research/wat): Waters Corporation | +29.0% | +74.6% | +24.4% | +182% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.30 |
| FRPT: Freshpet, Inc. | +27.7% | +19.5% | −56.3% | +630% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.07 |
| [BDX](https://easycompare.io/research/bdx): Becton, Dickinson and Company | +32.3% | +1.6% | +12.2% | +71.4% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.22 |
| [ABT](https://easycompare.io/research/abt): Abbott Laboratories | −18.7% | +13.0% | −8.0% | +204% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.04 |
| HSIC: Henry Schein, Inc. | +32.5% | +24.0% | +7.9% | +41.3% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.19 |
| ELAN: Elanco Animal Health Incorporated | +4.5% | +148% | −32.6% | — | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.05 |
| [DHR](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr): Danaher Corporation | +8.3% | +10.8% | −17.6% | +232% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.01 |
| BIO: Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. | +10.1% | +14.1% | −52.5% | +115% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.21 |
| NEOG: Neogen Corporation | +99.0% | −22.1% | −71.5% | −41.0% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.24 |
| TRUP: Trupanion, Inc. | −34.7% | +26.6% | −72.6% | +77.3% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.00 |
| ZTS: Zoetis Inc. | −43.8% | −50.1% | −59.0% | +70.3% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.45 |
| QDEL: QuidelOrtho Corporation | −51.0% | −78.8% | −89.2% | −33.1% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.38 |
| CHWY: Chewy, Inc. | −42.5% | +28.2% | −67.3% | — | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.07 |
| WOOF: Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. | −36.7% | −32.3% | −90.0% | — | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.27 |

### How did IDXX do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 1997, along with where IDXX ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, IDXX finished in the top quarter in 12 of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in five. In 2025, it ranked 2 of 20.
- IDXX finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 21 of its 29 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, FRPT came out ahead of IDXX most often, in six of the 11 years both traded.

| Year | IDXX | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +63.6% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | −25.5% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +36.0% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −38.0% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +31.7% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +91.4% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +40.4% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +18.9% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +33.4% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +60.8% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How IDXX has fallen, how it held up in crashes beside the S&P 500 and its popular alternatives, and what moves independently of it.

### What were IDXX's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high.

- In all five of IDXX's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: IDXX fell 73.1% from October 2006 to June 2007, while the S&P 500 rose 12.1%.
- The slowest recovery came after IDXX fell 54.0% from August 2021 to October 2022; it did not regain that peak until November 2025, three years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −73.1% | October 16, 2006 | June 13, 2007 | June 28, 2007 | +12.1% |  |
| −62.9% | February 5, 1996 | April 18, 1997 | November 20, 1998 | +22.2% |  |
| −57.3% | November 15, 2007 | November 20, 2008 | April 23, 2010 | −47.1% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −54.0% | August 5, 2021 | October 14, 2022 | November 3, 2025 | −17.6% | 2022 bear market |
| −47.5% | June 7, 1999 | January 4, 2000 | February 25, 2000 | +5.5% |  |

### How did IDXX do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far IDXX, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000.

- IDXX fell further than the S&P 500 in nine of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when IDXX fell 46.4% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.
- Among its popular alternatives, HSIC held up best, falling less than IDXX in nine of the ten crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | IDXX fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −32.6% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −57.3% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −3.6% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −24.0% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −17.8% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −9.2% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −29.4% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −37.1% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −46.4% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −5.7% | −3.4% |

### How closely does IDXX move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- VEEV took just 89% of the S&P 500's losses, against 145% for IDXX, while still keeping 113% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, IDXX captured 128% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 145% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.27. It amplified the market's moves in both directions.
- Seven of the 16 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than IDXX's 0.88, led by DGX, VEEV and DHR.

Measured over the past 10 years of monthly returns against SPY.

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| IDXX: IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (this page) | 128% | 145% | 1.27 |
| [VEEV](https://easycompare.io/research/veev): Veeva Systems Inc. | 113% | 89.0% | 0.87 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | 104% | 104% | 0.81 |
| [A](https://easycompare.io/research/a): Agilent Technologies, Inc. | 120% | 141% | 1.13 |
| DGX: Quest Diagnostics Incorporated | 69.0% | 54.0% | 0.80 |
| LH: Labcorp Holdings Inc. | 81.0% | 91.0% | 0.97 |
| [WAT](https://easycompare.io/research/wat): Waters Corporation | 107% | 139% | 1.01 |
| FRPT: Freshpet, Inc. | 147% | 157% | 1.24 |
| [BDX](https://easycompare.io/research/bdx): Becton, Dickinson and Company | 53.0% | 77.0% | 0.48 |
| [ABT](https://easycompare.io/research/abt): Abbott Laboratories | 76.0% | 79.0% | 0.64 |
| HSIC: Henry Schein, Inc. | 72.0% | 124% | 0.85 |
| [DHR](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr): Danaher Corporation | 84.0% | 84.0% | 0.75 |
| BIO: Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. | 104% | 146% | 0.99 |
| NEOG: Neogen Corporation | 104% | 231% | 1.17 |
| TRUP: Trupanion, Inc. | 129% | 223% | 1.67 |
| ZTS: Zoetis Inc. | 64.0% | 101% | 0.72 |
| QDEL: QuidelOrtho Corporation | 22.0% | 95.0% | 0.38 |

### What diversifies IDXX?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions).

- Moving a fifth of the money in IDXX into MCK would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 17% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (-3.4% for IDXX alone, +4.6% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, DXJ, EMLP and HDV have moved largely independently of IDXX over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.48 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- CAH made money in four of the six calendar years in which IDXX lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with IDXX | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in IDXX's 6 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.36 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 3 of 6 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.41 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 2 of 6 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.48 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 2 of 6 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.44 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 1 of 6 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.29 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 2 of 6 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.46 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 1 of 6 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.13 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 3 of 6 |
| EWT: iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 0.37 | +153% | 24.2% | 0.89 | 1 of 6 |

## Common questions

### What was IDXX's worst drawdown?

IDXX's deepest decline since it began trading in 1991 was 73.1%, from October 2006 to June 2007. It was back at its old high within a month of the low.

### What were IDXX's best and worst years?

Over 29 full calendar years, IDXX's best year was 2020, when it returned 91.4%. Its worst was 1999, with a return of -40.1%.

### Is there a better investment than IDXX?

Among IDXX's popular alternatives, TMO, DGX and LH earned more than IDXX with less volatility over the past 5 years. TMO returned 2.9% a year at 27.8% volatility, against a loss of 2.8% a year at 35.7%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, ORLY (specialty retail) and LLY (pharmaceuticals) earned more than IDXX with less volatility over the past 5 years. ORLY returned 15.9% a year at 23.4% volatility, against a loss of 2.8% a year at 35.7%.

### Is IDXX more volatile than the S&P 500?

Yes. IDXX's volatility over the past 5 years was 35.7%, about twice the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, IDXX's return lands within 35.7% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is IDXX's Sharpe ratio?

IDXX's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.10, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so IDXX earned less for each unit of risk than an index fund did. The Sharpe ratio is the return earned above cash for each unit of volatility: two investments with the same return are not equal if one got there with far bigger swings.

### How correlated is IDXX with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, IDXX's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.68 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They often move together: some diversification next to an index fund, but not a cushion. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against IDXX instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a IDXX holding.

### What are the best alternatives to IDXX?

Of the 19 popular alternatives we compared, six outperformed IDXX in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: VEEV, TMO and A.

### Did IDXX outperform the S&P 500?

IDXX finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 21 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +63.6%, against +17.7% for the index.

### How did IDXX do in stock market crashes?

IDXX fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in one of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in nine. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when IDXX fell 46.4% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.

### What diversifies IDXX?

These had a low correlation with IDXX over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, DXJ (correlation 0.36), EMLP (correlation 0.41) and HDV (correlation 0.48); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.24), CLS (correlation 0.22) and FIX (correlation 0.34). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Veeva Systems (VEEV) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/veev)
- [Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo)
- [Agilent Technologies (A) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/a)
- [Waters (WAT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/wat)
- [Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/bdx)
- [Abbott Laboratories (ABT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/abt)
- [Danaher (DHR) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr)
- [Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/schd)
- [NVIDIA (NVDA) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda)
- [Apple (AAPL) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl)
- [Alphabet (GOOG) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/goog)
- [Microsoft (MSFT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/msft)

## Explore further

- Full page with charts: https://easycompare.io/research/idxx
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against IDXX live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=IDXX&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research