Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) Shares Gap Down to $79.03

Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $79.03, but opened at $74.86. Bruker shares last traded at $69.63, with a volume of 952,457 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Bruker from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. UBS Group increased their target price on Bruker from $94.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Citigroup lifted their price target on Bruker from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Bruker from $66.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Bruker from $63.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Bruker has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.86.

Bruker Trading Down 0.1 %

The business has a 50-day moving average of $87.38 and a 200-day moving average of $75.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.99, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.80.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical research company reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $721.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $729.88 million. Bruker had a return on equity of 29.94% and a net margin of 14.41%. The company’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Bruker Co. will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Bruker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.29%. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.85%.

Insider Transactions at Bruker

In related news, Director Hermann Fritz Requardt sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.06, for a total value of $1,350,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 23,147 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,084,618.82. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 28.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bruker

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Bruker during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Bruker by 68.2% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 360 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new position in Bruker during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bruker during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bruker by 145.0% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 512 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the period. 79.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.