We made the difficult decision during the quarter to part with our longtime holding in Idexx Laboratories (NASDAQ:IDXX). Idexx had been a wonderful stock for us over the past 13 years, compounding at better than a 17% rate from the time of our original purchases in 2003 through June 30. This compares to a 7.4% compound for the S&P 500 Index over the same period. Idexx has a terrific market position in veterinary diagnostics and a very capable CEO in Jon Ayers. But the market fully realizes Idexx’s strengths. It is according Idexx a price-to- earnings ratio of more than 40x the 2016 consensus earnings per share estimate of $ 2.21. The company has grown earnings per share at an 11% rate for the past five years and should grow a bit below that rate in 2016. The market helped with our decision as the price of Idexx shares rose sharply during the quarter. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Jon Ayers. He is a hero to Sequoia shareholders and greatly respected by all of us.
From Ruane Cunniff (Trades, Portfolio)'s Sequoia Fund second quarter 2016 shareholder letter.
