Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) Shares Down 5.3% - Should You Sell?

Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report)'s stock price dropped 5.3% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $57.11 and last traded at $58.02. Approximately 805,182 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 34% from the average daily volume of 1,224,903 shares. The stock had previously closed at $61.26.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research downgraded Bruker from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Bank of America raised their target price on Bruker from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Bruker in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $66.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Bruker from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Bruker from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $74.45.

Bruker Price Performance

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $57.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $61.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 1.17.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The medical research company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $864.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $866.46 million. Bruker had a net margin of 9.41% and a return on equity of 21.52%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.74 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Bruker Co. will post 2.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.35%. Bruker's dividend payout ratio is currently 9.62%.

Insider Activity at Bruker

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bruker

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BRKR. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Bruker by 21.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 14,306,122 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $987,981,000 after buying an additional 2,521,904 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Bruker by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,627,300 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $250,501,000 after acquiring an additional 318,808 shares in the last quarter. RTW Investments LP boosted its stake in Bruker by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. RTW Investments LP now owns 3,481,119 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $240,406,000 after purchasing an additional 37,024 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Bruker by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,993,468 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $137,702,000 after purchasing an additional 193,580 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Bruker by 127.8% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,389,537 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $88,666,000 after purchasing an additional 779,549 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.