Brokerages Set Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) Price Target at $70.50

Shares of Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $70.50.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on BRKR. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Bruker from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $60.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Bruker from $70.00 to $57.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Bruker from $69.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Bruker from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Bruker in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

Bruker Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BRKR opened at $46.94 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Bruker has a 52-week low of $44.11 and a 52-week high of $94.86. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $53.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.22. The company has a market capitalization of $7.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.18.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The medical research company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.01. Bruker had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 3.36%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Bruker will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.32%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Bruker by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,459 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $965,000 after purchasing an additional 3,349 shares during the last quarter. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd acquired a new position in Bruker in the 4th quarter worth about $234,000. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd increased its position in Bruker by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd now owns 158,000 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $9,262,000 after purchasing an additional 15,900 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Bruker by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 356,969 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $20,926,000 after purchasing an additional 52,214 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bruker by 179.6% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 18,906 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,108,000 after acquiring an additional 12,145 shares in the last quarter. 79.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Bruker

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.