By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR – Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,200,000 shares, an increase of 77.1% from the December 15th total of 3,500,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,400,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.4 days. Approximately 6.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.
Bruker Stock Up 2.6 %
Shares of NASDAQ BRKR opened at $59.01 on Friday. Bruker has a 52-week low of $48.07 and a 52-week high of $94.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.66. The business has a fifty day moving average of $57.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $61.70. The stock has a market cap of $8.95 billion, a PE ratio of 28.37, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 1.17.
Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $864.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $866.46 million. Bruker had a net margin of 9.41% and a return on equity of 21.52%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.74 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Bruker will post 2.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Bruker Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.34%. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.62%.
Insider Transactions at Bruker
In other Bruker news, CEO Frank H. Laukien acquired 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $50.14 per share, for a total transaction of $5,014,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 38,439,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,927,359,688.82. This trade represents a 0.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 28.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bruker
Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Bruker by 37.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 909 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. CGN Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Bruker in the fourth quarter worth about $1,273,000. Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Bruker in the fourth quarter worth about $300,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Bruker by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 115,508 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $6,771,000 after purchasing an additional 11,860 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Bruker by 2,324.1% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 703 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.52% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research analysts have recently commented on BRKR shares. TD Cowen cut their price target on Bruker from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Bruker from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Bruker from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Bruker from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on Bruker from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.45.
Get Our Latest Research Report on BRKR
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.
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