Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) Sets New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $39.88 and last traded at $41.15, with a volume of 2206068 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $40.38.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on BRKR shares. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Bruker in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Bruker from $70.00 to $57.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Bruker from $69.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America raised their target price on Bruker from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Bruker in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $66.00 price target on the stock. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.50.

Bruker Stock Performance

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 stock has a market capitalization of $5.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $48.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $56.13.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical research company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts expect that Bruker Co. will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.32%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BRKR. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Bruker by 2,324.1% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 703 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in Bruker by 274.9% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,091 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Bruker by 37.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 909 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Bruker by 47.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,279 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Bruker by 18.2% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,273 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.52% of the company’s stock.

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.