Brokerages Set Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR) PT at $56.22

Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the ten research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $56.22.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on BRKR shares. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Bruker from $57.00 to $45.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Bruker from $75.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Bruker in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Bruker from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup lowered Bruker from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the company from $50.00 to $40.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd.

Bruker Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of BRKR stock traded up $0.93 during trading on Friday, hitting $39.66. 2,392,648 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,645,078. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $38.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.94. Bruker has a twelve month low of $34.10 and a twelve month high of $72.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 76.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The medical research company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $801.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $763.83 million. Bruker had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 19.47%. Bruker's revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.53 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Bruker will post 2.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.50%. Bruker's payout ratio is 38.46%.

Insider Activity at Bruker

In other Bruker news, CEO Frank H. Laukien purchased 2,608 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $38.36 per share, with a total value of $100,042.88. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 38,462,171 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,475,408,879.56. This represents a 0.01% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 27.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bruker

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BRKR. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new position in shares of Bruker during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Bruker by 92.4% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 758 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Bruker by 1,354.5% during the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 800 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 745 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bruker in the 1st quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of 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. 79.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.