Short Interest in Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) Rises By 10.0%

Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,960,000 shares, an increase of 10.0% from the August 15th total of 3,600,000 shares. Currently, 3.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,040,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.8 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Bruker in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in shares of Bruker by 139.1% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 361 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Bruker by 120.4% during the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 399 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in Bruker in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Bruker in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 79.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bruker Trading Down 0.4 %

BRKR traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $65.03. 1,002,852 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,016,081. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.53, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.18. Bruker has a one year low of $53.79 and a one year high of $94.86. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $64.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 1.65.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical research company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.52. The business had revenue of $800.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $799.44 million. Bruker had a net margin of 11.29% and a return on equity of 24.92%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.50 EPS. Bruker’s quarterly revenue was up 17.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Bruker will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Monday, September 2nd were given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.31%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BRKR shares. Citigroup lowered their price target on Bruker from $95.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Bruker from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 20th. StockNews.com cut shares of Bruker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Bruker in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Bruker from $72.00 to $60.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Bruker has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $81.40.

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.