American Century Companies Inc. Increases Holdings in Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR)

American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) by 6.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30,223 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,776 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Bruker were worth $1,929,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado raised its holdings in shares of Bruker by 925.8% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 362,035 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $26,602,000 after buying an additional 326,741 shares during the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Bruker by 248.4% in the fourth quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 405,436 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $29,791,000 after purchasing an additional 289,055 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its position in Bruker by 78.3% during the second quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 593,091 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $37,845,000 after acquiring an additional 260,363 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in Bruker by 218.3% during the second quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 321,205 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $20,495,000 after purchasing an additional 220,278 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Bruker by 1,694.4% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 202,733 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $12,936,000 after purchasing an additional 191,435 shares during the period. 79.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bruker Stock Up 0.3 %

BRKR stock opened at $70.67 on Friday. Bruker Co. has a twelve month low of $53.79 and a twelve month high of $94.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The company has a market capitalization of $10.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.70, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $65.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $71.96.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical research company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52. Bruker had a net margin of 11.29% and a return on equity of 24.92%. The firm had revenue of $800.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $799.44 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 17.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Bruker Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.28%. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BRKR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Bruker from $95.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Bruker from $72.00 to $60.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Bruker from $74.00 to $72.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Bruker in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Bruker in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $78.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Bruker presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.40.

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.