Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) Stock Position Decreased by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank cut its stake in shares of Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) by 22.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,798 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 9,435 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Bruker were worth $2,337,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in Bruker by 145.0% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 512 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Bruker by 53.3% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 541 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Bruker during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Clear Street Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bruker during the third quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bruker in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $67,000. 79.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Bruker news, Director Hermann Fritz Requardt sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.06, for a total transaction of $1,350,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,147 shares in the company, valued at $2,084,618.82. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 28.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Bruker Price Performance

BRKR opened at $82.46 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Bruker Co. has a 1 year low of $53.79 and a 1 year high of $94.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $88.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $74.39. The stock has a market cap of $11.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.24, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.17.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The medical research company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $844.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $809.35 million. Bruker had a return on equity of 29.94% and a net margin of 14.41%. The firm’s revenue was up 19.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.74 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Bruker Co. will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Bruker’s payout ratio is presently 6.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on BRKR. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Bruker from $66.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Citigroup upped their price target on Bruker from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Bruker from $94.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Bruker from $63.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Bruker from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $84.86.

Bruker 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.