Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR) Short Interest Up 25.6% in August

Key Points

• Bruker Corporation's short interest rose by 25.6% in August, totaling 8,350,000 shares, which constitutes approximately 8.1% of its stock sold short.
• Insider activity showed that Director Cynthia M. Friend sold 3,535 shares at an average price of $32.25, reducing her ownership by 16.40% in a recent transaction.
• Bruker reported earnings of $0.32 per share for the last quarter, falling short of the $0.33 consensus estimate, with revenues of $797.4 million, below expectations of $811.17 million.

Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 8,350,000 shares, a growth of 25.6% from the August 15th total of 6,650,000 shares. Currently, 8.1% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,560,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,560,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days. Currently, 8.1% of the company's stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Transactions at Bruker

In other news, Director Cynthia M. Friend sold 3,535 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total transaction of $114,003.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 18,016 shares of the company's stock, valued at $581,016. This trade represents a 16.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 27.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bruker

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BRKR. CGN Advisors LLC grew its position in Bruker by 1.4% in the first quarter. CGN Advisors LLC now owns 22,014 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $919,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in Bruker by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 37,115 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,549,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System grew its holdings in Bruker by 1.1% in the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 26,493 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,106,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its position in shares of Bruker by 1.0% during the first quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 31,000 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,294,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in Bruker by 63.0% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 898 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.52% of the company's stock.

Bruker Price Performance

Shares of BRKR traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $33.17. The stock had a trading volume of 4,515,094 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,791,856. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The company has a market capitalization of $5.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 1.22. The company's 50-day moving average is $35.03 and its 200 day moving average is $38.33. Bruker has a 12-month low of $28.53 and a 12-month high of $72.94.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report) last issued 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 business had revenue of $797.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $811.17 million. Bruker had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 2.31%.Bruker's quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.52 earnings per share. Bruker has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.950-2.050 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Bruker will post 2.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Announces Dividend

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

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.