Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) Shares Gap Down Following Analyst Downgrade

Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) shares gapped down before the market opened on Monday after Barclays lowered their price target on the stock from $69.00 to $65.00. The stock had previously closed at $55.59, but opened at $54.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Bruker shares last traded at $52.55, with a volume of 358,235 shares trading hands.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Bruker from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $60.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of Bruker in a report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Bruker from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Bruker from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Bruker in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $66.00 price objective for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Bruker currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.09.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Frank H. Laukien acquired 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $50.14 per share, with a total value of $5,014,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 38,439,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,927,359,688.82. This trade represents a 0.26 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 28.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bruker by 4,636.4% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 521 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 510 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its stake in Bruker by 2,324.1% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 703 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Bruker by 115.3% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 661 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Bruker by 81.0% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 867 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Bruker during the third quarter worth about $73,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.52% of the company’s stock.

Bruker Trading Down 0.9 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $58.04 and a 200 day moving average of $60.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market cap of $7.68 billion, a PE ratio of 24.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 1.16.

Bruker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.62%.

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.