Short Interest in Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) Rises By 23.9%

Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 5,710,000 shares, a growth of 23.9% from the February 13th total of 4,610,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,630,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days. Approximately 5.5% of the company's shares are short sold.

Bruker Stock Performance

NASDAQ BRKR traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $44.43. The company had a trading volume of 1,206,981 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,299,074. 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 firm has a market cap of $6.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.18. Bruker has a fifty-two week low of $43.54 and a fifty-two week high of $94.86. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.90.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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%. Equities analysts predict that Bruker will post 2.69 EPS for the current year.

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Bruker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Bruker's payout ratio is 26.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BRKR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating on shares of Bruker in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Bruker from $70.00 to $57.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Bruker from $69.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Bruker in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $66.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Bruker from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bruker

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 510 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Bruker by 2,324.1% during the 4th 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. grew its holdings in shares of Bruker by 37.5% in the 4th 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 last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bruker by 47.5% during 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, Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its stake in Bruker by 18.2% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,273 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.