Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) Shares Gap Down Following Analyst Downgrade

Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Monday after Barclays lowered their price target on the stock from $69.00 to $65.00. The stock had previously closed at $55.59, but opened at $54.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Bruker shares last traded at $52.55, with a volume of 358,235 shares changing hands.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. 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. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Bruker in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $66.00 price target for the company. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Bruker in a research note on Friday, January 17th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Bruker from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Bruker from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.09.

Insider Transactions at Bruker

In related news, CEO Frank H. Laukien purchased 100,000 shares of Bruker stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $50.14 per share, with a total value of $5,014,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 38,439,563 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,927,359,688.82. The trade was a 0.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 28.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bruker

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BRKR. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Bruker by 21.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 14,306,122 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $987,981,000 after buying an additional 2,521,904 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Bruker by 9.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,627,300 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $250,501,000 after buying an additional 318,808 shares during the last quarter. RTW Investments LP lifted its position in shares of Bruker by 1.1% during the third quarter. RTW Investments LP now owns 3,481,119 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $240,406,000 after buying an additional 37,024 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Bruker by 10.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,993,468 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $137,702,000 after buying an additional 193,580 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Bruker by 140.3% during the fourth quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,141,762 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $66,930,000 after buying an additional 666,617 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.52% of the company’s stock.

Bruker Trading Down 5.5 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $7.97 billion, a PE ratio of 24.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $58.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $61.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

Bruker Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Bruker’s payout ratio is 9.62%.

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.