Short Interest in Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) Expands By 9.6%

Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 3,300,000 shares, an increase of 9.6% from the November 15th total of 3,010,000 shares. Currently, 3.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,370,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.4 days.

Bruker Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of BRKR stock traded down $0.79 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $57.73. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,529,330 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,114,317. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $58.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $62.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.75 billion, a PE ratio of 27.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 1.18. Bruker has a 12-month low of $48.07 and a 12-month high of $94.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $864.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $866.46 million. Bruker had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 9.41%. Bruker’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.74 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Bruker will post 2.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BRKR has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Bruker from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $60.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Bruker from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Bruker in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $66.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Bruker from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered Bruker from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.70.

Insider Activity at Bruker

In other news, CEO Frank H. Laukien acquired 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $50.14 per share, for a total transaction of $5,014,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 38,439,563 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,927,359,688.82. This represents a 0.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 28.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Bruker

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Bruker by 66.0% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,247 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $399,000 after acquiring an additional 2,484 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in Bruker by 25.0% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 17,003 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,085,000 after purchasing an additional 3,397 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in Bruker by 1,694.4% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 202,733 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $12,936,000 after buying an additional 191,435 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Bruker by 23.1% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,569 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $164,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bruker by 20.0% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 991 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.