Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) Shares Gap Down Following Analyst Downgrade

Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped down before the market opened on Monday after Barclays lowered their price target on the stock from $69.00 to $65.00. The stock had previously closed at $55.59, but opened at $54.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Bruker shares last traded at $52.55, with a volume of 358,235 shares traded.

BRKR has been the subject of a number of other reports. Citigroup cut their price objective on Bruker from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Bruker from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating on shares of Bruker in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Bruker from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Bruker from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $74.09.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Frank H. Laukien bought 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $50.14 per share, with a total value of $5,014,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 38,439,563 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,927,359,688.82. This represents a 0.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 28.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bruker

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in Bruker by 4,636.4% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 521 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 510 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its stake 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 worth $41,000 after buying an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Bruker by 81.0% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 867 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 388 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Bruker by 37.5% in 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. Finally, Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Bruker during the 3rd quarter worth $73,000. Institutional investors own 79.52% of the company's stock.

Bruker Stock Down 1.1 %

The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $57.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.66. The company has a market cap of $7.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.56, a PEG ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 1.16.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The medical research company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.01. Bruker had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 9.41%. On average, research analysts forecast that Bruker Co. will post 2.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.