Short Interest in Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR) Decreases By 28.7%

Key Points

• Bruker Corporation experienced a significant 28.7% decrease in short interest in August, with current short interest totaling 6,650,000 shares, representing 6.5% of the stock.
• The company reported Q2 earnings of $0.32 EPS, falling short of analysts' expectations, and a revenue of $797.40 million, slightly down from the previous year's $800 million.
• Bruker declared a dividend of $0.05 per share, to be paid on October 3rd, resulting in an annual yield of 0.6% and a payout ratio of 38.46%.

Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totaling 6,650,000 shares, a decline of 28.7% from the July 31st total of 9,330,000 shares. Approximately 6.5% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,860,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,860,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days. Approximately 6.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Bruker Price Performance

NASDAQ:BRKR traded down $1.16 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $30.91. The company had a trading volume of 2,838,988 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,182,071. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $36.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.98. Bruker has a one year low of $28.53 and a one year high of $72.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.69 billion, a PE ratio of 59.44, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The medical research company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.01). Bruker had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 17.89%. The company had revenue of $797.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $811.17 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.52 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Bruker has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.950-2.050 EPS. Analysts forecast that Bruker will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Bruker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 23rd will be paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 23rd. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Bruker's payout ratio is currently 38.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Bruker news, Director Cynthia M. Friend sold 3,535 shares of Bruker stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total value of $114,003.75. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 18,016 shares of the company's stock, valued at $581,016. The trade was a 16.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 27.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bruker

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in Bruker by 5.1% in the first quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 29,045 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,212,000 after purchasing an additional 1,422 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Bruker by 54.2% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,109 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Bruker by 81.2% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 29,826 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,245,000 after purchasing an additional 13,367 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Bruker by 38.0% in the first quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,522 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 1,520 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Bruker by 45.8% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,325 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.52% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BRKR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Bruker from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Bruker from $61.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Bruker from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $60.00 price objective on Bruker and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Bruker from $46.00 to $43.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $51.30.

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.