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

Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading 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.

BRKR has been the subject of several other reports. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Bruker from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Bruker from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. 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. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Bruker from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of Bruker in a report on Friday, January 17th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bruker presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.09.

Insider Activity at Bruker

In other Bruker news, CEO Frank H. Laukien bought 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 38,439,563 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,927,359,688.82. The trade was a 0.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 28.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position 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 worth $36,000 after buying an additional 510 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bruker by 2,324.1% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 703 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 354 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Bruker by 81.0% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 867 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Bruker during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $73,000. Institutional investors own 79.52% of the company’s stock.

Bruker Trading Down 8.0 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $58.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $60.95. The company has a market cap of $7.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.58, a PEG ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 1.16.

Bruker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Bruker’s payout ratio is presently 9.62%.

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.