Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) Hits New 1-Year Low - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Bruker Corporation's shares reached a new 52-week low, trading at $30.12 before closing at $30.68.
• Analysts have lowered their price targets for Bruker's stock, with Bank of America setting a new target of $50.00 and UBS Group reducing it to $45.00, but six analysts still rate it as a "hold."
• The company reported earnings per share of $0.32 for the last quarter, slightly below expectations, and a decrease in revenue compared to the same period last year.

Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $30.12 and last traded at $30.68, with a volume of 209346 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.43.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on BRKR shares. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Bruker from $61.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Bruker from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $40.00 target price on shares of Bruker and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Bruker from $57.00 to $45.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Bruker from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $51.30.

Bruker Trading Up 0.2%

The stock has a market cap of $4.63 billion, a PE ratio of 58.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $39.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $42.42.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $797.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $811.17 million. Bruker had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 17.89%. Bruker's quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.52 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Bruker Corporation will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Bruker

In related news, CEO Frank H. Laukien purchased 2,608 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $38.36 per share, for a total transaction of $100,042.88. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 38,462,171 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,475,408,879.56. The trade was a 0.01% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 27.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bruker

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Bruker by 23.8% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,525 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $558,000 after purchasing an additional 1,834 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in Bruker by 95.1% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 190,855 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $11,188,000 after acquiring an additional 93,048 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Bruker by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 354,106 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $20,758,000 after purchasing an additional 34,464 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in Bruker by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 28,782 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,730,000 after buying an additional 784 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in shares of Bruker by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 65,029 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $3,812,000 after buying an additional 3,891 shares during 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.

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