Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $65.00.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BRKR. Barclays dropped their price objective on Bruker from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Bruker from $75.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Bruker from $75.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Bruker in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Bruker from $70.00 to $57.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th.

Bruker Stock Down 3.1 %

Bruker stock opened at $39.45 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $41.69 and its 200 day moving average is $51.59. The company has a market capitalization of $5.98 billion, a PE ratio of 51.91, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.23. Bruker has a 12-month low of $34.10 and a 12-month high of $79.78.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The medical research company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.01. Bruker had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 21.01%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Bruker will post 2.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.32%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BRKR. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in Bruker in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Bruker by 92.4% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 758 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its position in Bruker by 2,324.1% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 703 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in Bruker by 274.9% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,091 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Bruker by 54.2% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,109 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the period. 79.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bruker Company Profile

Bruker Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and distributes scientific instruments, and analytical and diagnostic solutions in the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Bruker Scientific Instruments (BSI) BioSpin, BSI CALID, BSI Nano, and Bruker Energy & Supercon Technologies.