Short Interest in Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) Rises By 6.2%

Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,260,000 shares, an increase of 6.2% from the July 15th total of 3,070,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,240,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days. Currently, 3.2% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Bruker Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of BRKR stock traded up $0.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $63.43. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 696,826 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,025,719. The stock has a market cap of $9.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.07, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.81. Bruker has a 52-week low of $53.79 and a 52-week high of $94.86. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $63.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.27.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical research company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52. The business had revenue of $800.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $799.44 million. Bruker had a return on equity of 27.31% and a net margin of 13.38%. Bruker’s revenue was up 17.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.50 EPS. Research analysts predict that Bruker will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Monday, September 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.32%. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Bruker from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 20th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Bruker in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $85.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Bruker from $81.00 to $77.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 20th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Bruker from $74.00 to $72.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Bruker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $80.80.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bruker

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BRKR. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in Bruker by 68.2% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 360 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in shares of Bruker by 2,342.1% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 388,300 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $28,532,000 after buying an additional 372,400 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in Bruker during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT grew its position in Bruker by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 4,059 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $298,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the period. Finally, Sector Gamma AS increased its holdings in Bruker by 23.2% during the fourth quarter. Sector Gamma AS now owns 127,312 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $9,355,000 after buying an additional 23,957 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.52% of the company’s stock.

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.