Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $47.44 and last traded at $48.67, with a volume of 297008 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $50.50.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BRKR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Bruker from $70.00 to $57.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Bruker from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays decreased their price target on Bruker from $69.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Bruker from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Bruker from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Bruker has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.50.

Bruker Trading Down 1.1 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $7.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $56.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.60.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical research company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.01. Bruker had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 3.36%. On average, research analysts forecast that Bruker Co. will post 2.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.32%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bruker

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Bruker during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $234,000. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd boosted its holdings in Bruker by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd now owns 158,000 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $9,262,000 after acquiring an additional 15,900 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Bruker by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 356,969 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $20,926,000 after acquiring an additional 52,214 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Bruker by 179.6% in the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 18,906 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,108,000 after acquiring an additional 12,145 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its holdings in Bruker by 406.1% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 140,700 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $8,248,000 after acquiring an additional 112,900 shares in the last quarter. 79.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.