IDEX Raises 2026 Organic Sales Growth Forecast to 5%–6%
Key Facts
IDEX raised its 2026 organic sales growth forecast to a range of 5%–6%, from 3%–4% previously, and increased its adjusted diluted earnings-per-share forecast to $8.70–$8.85, compared with its previous range of $8.35–$8.55. The company announced the revision in July, alongside its second-quarter results, when it posted record sales of $921 million. Sales rose 6% on a reported basis and 5% organically from the same period a year earlier. Adjusted diluted earnings per share were $2.32, up 12%, while reported earnings per share reached $1.93, an increase of 11%. These figures come from the latest official earnings release available in the information provided, while the figures attributed to the third quarter in the earlier draft could not be confirmed.
Second-quarter orders reached a record level of more than $1 billion, up 29% on a reported basis and 28% organically year over year. An earlier earnings report said organic orders rose 28%, with orders in the Health and Science Technologies segment increasing 47%. The company said second-quarter organic sales growth was driven primarily by higher volumes in Health and Science Technologies and positive pricing. In its statement, it said, "Organic sales growth was driven primarily by higher volumes in Health and Science Technologies and positive pricing." This places the segment's order and sales growth among the period's leading indicators cited by the company, without establishing on its own how much of the orders will convert into subsequent sales.
The July update raised the outlook from the range the company had previously announced, increasing both the low and high ends of its 2026 organic sales growth forecast. It also moved its adjusted earnings-per-share forecast to a higher range than its prior estimate. The chief executive said in the first-quarter earnings announcement that the company had raised its full-year outlook based on momentum, and that it saw its strategy translating into higher-quality growth. He said, "Based on this momentum, we are raising our full-year outlook, and we are encouraged by what we are seeing as our strategies translate into higher-quality growth." First- and second-quarter results provide context for the outlook: first-quarter sales were $887 million, up 9% on a reported basis and 5% organically, with record orders of $988 million.
The year-over-year comparison for the second quarter followed sales of $879 million in the third quarter of 2025, up 10% on a reported basis and 5% organically. Ahead of the release of third-quarter 2026 results, estimates were $934.3 million in revenue and $2.24 in earnings per share, according to estimates cited by an Investing.com report from Reuters. That would have meant sequentially higher revenue than the $921 million recorded in the second quarter, alongside earnings per share below the $2.32 reported for that quarter. The report said investors were watching how well the company could convert large orders into profitable growth, as well as the effects of input costs and product mix on margins. The report said, "Margin performance is in focus" as results test the company's ability to turn its order book into profitable growth.
In May 2026, IDEX announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.73 per share and said the payment would be its 126th consecutive regular dividend. The company's shares, listed under the ticker IEX, closed at $233.21 on October 27, 2026. The company had announced it would release third-quarter results on October 28 before the market opened, followed by a conference call and webcast that day at 8:00 a.m. Central Time. The release date puts third-quarter results at the forefront of the next developments for investors following the July update to the annual outlook. The sales and earnings figures attributed to the third quarter in the first draft remain unconfirmed by the evidence available here.