Handelsbanken Fonder AB Lowers Stock Holdings in Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lowered its holdings in shares of Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) by 92.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,000 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 340,000 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Bruker were worth $1,641,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BRKR. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bruker by 2,324.1% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 703 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Bruker by 37.5% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 909 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Bruker by 47.5% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,279 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Bruker in the third quarter valued at approximately $77,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.52% of the company’s stock.

Bruker Stock Performance

Shares of BRKR stock opened at $50.99 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $56.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.73 billion, a PE ratio of 67.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Bruker Co. has a 52-week low of $48.07 and a 52-week high of $94.86.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical research company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.01. Bruker had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 3.36%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Bruker Co. will post 2.69 EPS for the current year.

Bruker Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.39%. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Bruker in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Bruker from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Bruker from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Bank of America raised their price target on Bruker from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Barclays cut 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bruker currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $70.50.

Bruker Company 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.