Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) Hits New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $39.88 and last traded at $41.15, with a volume of 2206068 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $40.38.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BRKR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Bruker from $70.00 to $57.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of Bruker in a research report on Monday, February 24th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Bruker in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $66.00 target price on the stock. 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 report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Bruker from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Bruker has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.50.

Bruker Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $49.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.24 billion, a PE ratio of 54.15, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.18.

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

Bruker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.32%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Bruker by 2,324.1% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 703 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in Bruker by 274.9% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,091 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Bruker by 37.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 909 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bruker by 47.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,279 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Bruker by 18.2% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,273 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.