Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) Sets New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $45.08 and last traded at $45.30, with a volume of 1059827 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $47.40.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BRKR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Bruker from $70.00 to $57.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Bruker in a report on Monday, February 24th. UBS Group started coverage on Bruker in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $66.00 target price for the company. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Bruker from $69.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective 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. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.50.

Bruker Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $6.91 billion, a PE ratio of 59.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.18. 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 50-day simple moving average is $54.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.00.

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

Bruker Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.05 dividend. 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 (DPR) is presently 26.32%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bruker

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd acquired a new position in Bruker during the fourth quarter worth $234,000. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd increased its position in shares of Bruker by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd now owns 158,000 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $9,262,000 after buying an additional 15,900 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Bruker by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 356,969 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $20,926,000 after buying an additional 52,214 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Bruker by 179.6% in the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 18,906 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,108,000 after buying an additional 12,145 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its stake in Bruker by 406.1% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 140,700 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $8,248,000 after acquiring an additional 112,900 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.