Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) Shares Purchased by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank raised its stake in Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 208,500 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,600 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Bruker were worth $12,222,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of Bruker by 4,636.4% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 521 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 510 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Bruker by 2,324.1% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 703 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 674 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Bruker by 37.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 909 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bruker by 47.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,279 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 412 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Bruker by 41.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,330 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.52% of the company’s stock.

Bruker Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BRKR opened at $46.68 on Thursday. Bruker Co. has a 52-week low of $44.11 and a 52-week high of $94.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The business has a fifty day moving average of $52.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.00. The stock has a market cap of $7.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.42, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.18.

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

Bruker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on BRKR shares. Barclays cut their price objective on Bruker from $69.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Bruker from $70.00 to $57.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Bruker in a report on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of 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. 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 target on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.50.

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.