Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) Price Target Cut to $57.00 by Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) had its price objective dropped by investment analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $70.00 to $57.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective points to a potential upside of 13.51% from the stock’s current price.

BRKR has been the topic of several other research reports. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Bruker from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Bruker in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Bruker from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Bruker from $69.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. 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 report on Wednesday, November 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.27.

Bruker Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BRKR traded down $0.94 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $50.22. 634,894 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,577,716. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.61 billion, a PE ratio of 24.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s 50 day moving average is $57.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. Bruker has a one year low of $48.07 and a one year high of $94.86.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last issued 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 9.41% and a return on equity of 21.52%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Bruker will post 2.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Bruker

In other news, CEO Frank H. Laukien acquired 100,000 shares of Bruker stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $50.14 per share, with a total value of $5,014,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 38,439,563 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,927,359,688.82. This trade represents a 0.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 28.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bruker

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bruker by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,287 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $779,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in Bruker by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,273 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Bruker by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,880 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in Bruker by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 30,725 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,801,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of Bruker by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 4,233 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. 79.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.