Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as $42.62 and last traded at $42.66, with a volume of 190027 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.45.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BRKR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Bruker from $70.00 to $57.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. 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 target price for the company. Barclays lowered their price target on Bruker from $69.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Bruker from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $60.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Bruker from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.50.

Bruker Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.37, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $56.96.

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

Bruker Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.48%. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.32%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bruker

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bruker by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,459 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $965,000 after buying an additional 3,349 shares during the period. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in Bruker during the fourth quarter worth approximately $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 valued at $9,262,000 after buying an additional 15,900 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bruker by 17.1% during the fourth 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 valued at $20,926,000 after buying an additional 52,214 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Bruker by 179.6% during the fourth 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 currently 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.