Entropy Technologies LP Purchases New Shares in Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR)

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 6,510 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $612,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BRKR. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Bruker by 3.0% in 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 period. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Bruker by 1.3% during the first quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,534 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,177,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Bruker by 19.4% during the first quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 1,139 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its position in Bruker by 24.7% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,005 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. 79.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bruker Price Performance

Shares of BRKR traded up $0.49 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $64.58. 63,836 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 984,260. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.44. Bruker Co. has a fifty-two week low of $53.79 and a fifty-two week high of $94.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.39 billion, a PE ratio of 23.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical research company reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 13.38% and a return on equity of 27.31%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.64 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Bruker Co. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 3rd were issued a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 3rd. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.31%. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on BRKR. StockNews.com cut shares of Bruker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 21st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Bruker from $81.00 to $77.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 20th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Bruker from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 20th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Bruker from $95.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Bruker from $72.00 to $60.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bruker has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $81.78.

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.