National Bank of Canada FI Sells 71,661 Shares of Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR)

National Bank of Canada FI decreased its holdings in Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) by 43.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 94,549 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 71,661 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned approximately 0.07% of Bruker worth $5,893,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BRKR. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bruker in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Bruker by 139.1% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 361 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in Bruker by 120.4% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 399 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new position in Bruker during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Bruker in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. 79.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Bruker from $81.00 to $77.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 20th. StockNews.com lowered Bruker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Bruker from $72.00 to $60.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Bruker from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Bruker in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.40.

Bruker Price Performance

Shares of BRKR opened at $63.37 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $9.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.18. The business’s fifty day moving average is $63.95 and its 200 day moving average is $74.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Bruker Co. has a 12-month low of $53.79 and a 12-month high of $94.86.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical research company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting 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 analysts’ expectations of $799.44 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 17.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Bruker Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 2nd will be issued a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.32%. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.27%.

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.