Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) Position Lowered by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lowered its position in Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) by 92.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,000 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 340,000 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Bruker were worth $1,641,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its stake in shares of Bruker by 11.7% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 134,254 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $9,272,000 after acquiring an additional 14,069 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in Bruker by 446.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 27,998 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,934,000 after purchasing an additional 22,878 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Bruker in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $300,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in shares of Bruker by 39.9% in the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 602,144 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $41,584,000 after acquiring an additional 171,806 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Bruker by 21.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 14,306,122 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $987,981,000 after purchasing an additional 2,521,904 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.52% of the company’s stock.

Bruker Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ BRKR opened at $50.99 on Wednesday. Bruker Co. has a twelve month low of $48.07 and a twelve month high of $94.86. 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 company’s fifty day moving average is $56.49 and its 200-day moving average is $59.87. The stock has a market cap of $7.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 67.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.16.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 predict that Bruker Co. will post 2.69 EPS for the current year.

Bruker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.39%. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Bruker from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Bruker in a research note on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Bruker from $70.00 to $57.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Bruker in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $66.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Bruker from $69.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a 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, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.50.

Bruker 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.