Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) CAO Acquires $23,700.00 in Stock

Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) CAO Thomas Bures purchased 500 shares of Bruker stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $47.40 per share, with a total value of $23,700.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,472 shares in the company, valued at $164,572.80. The trade was a 16.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Bruker Stock Performance

Shares of BRKR traded down $1.84 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $45.56. 2,529,542 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,262,785. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.60. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $54.97 and its 200 day moving average is $59.00. Bruker Co. has a 1-year low of $44.94 and a 1-year high of $94.86. The stock has a market cap of $6.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.18.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical research company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.01. Bruker had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 3.36%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Bruker Co. will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on BRKR shares. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Bruker from $69.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Bruker from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Bruker in a research report on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Bruker from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $60.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on Bruker in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $66.00 price objective on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bruker currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bruker

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Bruker by 21.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 14,306,122 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $987,981,000 after acquiring an additional 2,521,904 shares in the last quarter. London Co. of Virginia lifted its stake in Bruker by 78.4% during the fourth quarter. London Co. of Virginia now owns 4,193,454 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $245,820,000 after purchasing an additional 1,843,294 shares during the period. Sculptor Capital LP boosted its holdings in Bruker by 484.1% during the fourth quarter. Sculptor Capital LP now owns 1,714,015 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $100,476,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420,569 shares in the last quarter. FIL Ltd grew its stake in shares of Bruker by 262.3% in the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 1,961,416 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $114,978,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420,102 shares during the period. Finally, Steadfast Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Bruker in the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,997,000. Institutional investors own 79.52% of the company’s stock.

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.