Van ECK Associates Corp Buys 27,553 Shares of Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR)

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR - Free Report) by 48.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 84,004 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 27,553 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 0.06% of Bruker worth $4,924,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BRKR. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Bruker by 4,636.4% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 521 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 510 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Bruker by 37.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Bruker in the 3rd quarter valued at $73,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Bruker by 47.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,279 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.52% of the company's stock.

Bruker Trading Down 4.0 %

BRKR stock traded down $2.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $50.82. 2,050,917 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,650,073. Bruker Co. has a one year low of $48.07 and a one year high of $94.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.70 billion, a PE ratio of 66.87, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.60. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $56.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.13.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical research company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.01. Bruker had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 21.01%. Equities research analysts expect that Bruker Co. will post 2.69 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on BRKR shares. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating on shares of Bruker in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus cut 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. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Bruker from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price 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. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Bruker in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $66.00 price objective for the company. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bruker presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.50.

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.