Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) Receives $81.78 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $81.78.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on BRKR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Bruker from $72.00 to $60.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Bruker from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 20th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Bruker from $95.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Bruker in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Bruker from $81.00 to $77.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 20th.

Bruker Stock Down 3.6 %

Shares of BRKR opened at $65.88 on Wednesday. Bruker has a 52 week low of $53.79 and a 52 week high of $94.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The company has a market capitalization of $9.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.96, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.20. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $65.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.97.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical research company reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $721.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $729.88 million. Bruker had a return on equity of 27.31% and a net margin of 13.38%. Bruker’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.64 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Bruker will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Bruker Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 3rd. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.30%. Bruker’s payout ratio is currently 7.27%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bruker

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Bruker by 120.4% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 399 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Bruker by 68.2% in the fourth 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. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bruker in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new position in Bruker in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in Bruker in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 79.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.