Franklin Resources Inc. Buys 1,756,460 Shares of Bruker Corporation $BRKR

Key Points

• Franklin Resources significantly increased its stake in Bruker, boosting holdings by 317.7% in the fourth quarter to 2.31 million shares worth about $108.8 million.
• Bruker’s latest earnings topped expectations, with quarterly EPS of $0.31 versus the $0.23 estimate and revenue of $823.4 million, up 2.7% year over year.
• Analysts remain mixed on the stock, with a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $51.31, while recent target changes ranged from $44 to $65.

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR - Free Report) by 317.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,309,404 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,756,460 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 1.52% of Bruker worth $108,796,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BRKR. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Bruker in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Bruker by 40.6% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 890 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in Bruker by 121.0% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 875 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Bruker by 304.6% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,416 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bruker by 49.8% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,631 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.52% of the company's stock.

Bruker Stock Down 4.1%

NASDAQ BRKR opened at $54.92 on Thursday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $43.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Bruker Corporation has a 52 week low of $28.53 and a 52 week high of $64.54. The company has a market capitalization of $8.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -228.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.31.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The medical research company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $823.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $795.62 million. Bruker had a positive return on equity of 11.60% and a negative net margin of 0.65%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.47 earnings per share. Bruker has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.150 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Bruker Corporation will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Bruker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 7th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 22nd. Bruker's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -83.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on BRKR shares. UBS Group upped their target price on Bruker from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on shares of Bruker from $58.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings raised Bruker from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Bruker from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Bruker from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bruker presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $51.31.

Insider Transactions at Bruker

In other Bruker news, VP Mark Munch sold 2,000 shares of Bruker stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.90, for a total value of $79,800.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 128,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,124,875.70. The trade was a 1.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 27.20% of the company's stock.

About Bruker

Bruker Corporation, founded in 1960 by physicist Günther Laukien and headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, is a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance scientific instruments and analytical solutions. The company designs systems that enable molecular and materials research across academic, governmental, and industrial laboratories.

Bruker's product portfolio encompasses nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers for molecular structure and dynamics studies, mass spectrometry platforms for proteomics and metabolomics, X-ray diffraction and scattering instruments for crystallography and materials characterization, atomic force and scanning probe microscopes for nanoscale surface analysis, as well as preclinical imaging systems such as micro-CT and MRI scanners.

In addition to hardware, Bruker provides software suites, applications support, training services, and long-term maintenance agreements to ensure optimal instrument performance.

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