Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) Receives $74.45 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $74.45.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on BRKR. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Bruker from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Bruker from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Bruker from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Guggenheim began coverage on Bruker in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $72.00 target price for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Bruker from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $60.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th.

Insider Activity at Bruker

In other Bruker news, CEO Frank H. Laukien bought 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $50.14 per share, for a total transaction of $5,014,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 38,439,563 shares in the company, valued at $1,927,359,688.82. This represents a 0.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 28.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bruker

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BRKR. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Bruker by 4,636.4% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 521 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 510 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Bruker by 115.3% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 661 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 354 shares during the period. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Bruker during the second quarter valued at $52,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Bruker by 81.0% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 867 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 388 shares during the period. Finally, Values First Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Bruker in the 3rd quarter worth $73,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.52% of the company’s stock.

Bruker Stock Performance

Bruker stock opened at $59.73 on Friday. Bruker has a 1-year low of $48.07 and a 1-year high of $94.86. The company’s 50-day moving average is $57.53 and its 200 day moving average is $62.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The medical research company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.01). Bruker had a net margin of 9.41% and a return on equity of 21.52%. The business had revenue of $864.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $866.46 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.74 EPS. Bruker’s revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Bruker will post 2.4 EPS for the current year.

Bruker Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Bruker’s payout ratio is currently 9.62%.

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.