Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) Shares Bought by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) by 30.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,184 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 6,647 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Bruker were worth $2,071,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. OneAscent Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Bruker during the 4th quarter valued at about $226,000. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Bruker by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,285 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC grew its position in Bruker by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 3,412 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $251,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank increased its holdings in shares of Bruker by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 15,775 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,159,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Bruker during the 4th quarter valued at $223,000. Institutional investors own 79.52% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Bruker

In related news, Director Hermann Fritz Requardt sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.06, for a total value of $1,350,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 23,147 shares in the company, valued at $2,084,618.82. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 28.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Bruker Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BRKR opened at $93.86 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $82.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Bruker Co. has a 12-month low of $53.79 and a 12-month high of $94.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.17.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The medical research company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.05. Bruker had a return on equity of 29.94% and a net margin of 14.41%. The firm had revenue of $844.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $809.35 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.74 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Bruker Co. will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on BRKR shares. Citigroup upped their target price on Bruker from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Bruker from $63.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Bruker from $94.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Bruker in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Bruker in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $72.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Bruker has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.29.

About Bruker

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.