Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) Short Interest Up 39.8% in March

Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,980,000 shares, an increase of 39.8% from the February 28th total of 5,710,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,760,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.5 days. Approximately 7.8% of the company's stock are short sold.

Bruker Price Performance

NASDAQ:BRKR traded down $3.36 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $37.79. 1,533,497 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,372,700. Bruker has a one year low of $37.29 and a one year high of $91.86. The company has a market capitalization of $5.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $49.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical research company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.01. Bruker had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 3.36%. Sell-side analysts predict that Bruker will post 2.69 EPS for the current year.

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Bruker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Bruker's payout ratio is 26.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BRKR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Bruker from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. 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. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Bruker in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Bruker from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Bruker from $69.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Bruker has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bruker

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Bruker by 11.8% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 899,638 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $62,129,000 after buying an additional 94,612 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Bruker by 446.8% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 27,998 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,934,000 after purchasing an additional 22,878 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new position in Bruker in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $435,000. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Bruker by 31.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 61,138 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $4,321,000 after buying an additional 14,547 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Bruker by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 115,616 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $7,984,000 after buying an additional 4,247 shares in the last quarter. 79.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.