Values First Advisors Inc. Makes New Investment in Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR)

Values First Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,060 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $73,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Bruker by 1.3% during the first quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,534 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,177,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bruker by 20.0% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 991 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Bruker by 2.3% during the second quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,766 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $496,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp raised its stake in Bruker by 19.4% during the first quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 1,139 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Bruker by 139.1% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 361 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. 79.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bruker Price Performance

Shares of BRKR opened at $57.90 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Bruker Co. has a fifty-two week low of $53.79 and a fifty-two week high of $94.86. The company has a market cap of $8.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.05, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.18. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $64.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.09.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical research company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.52. Bruker had a return on equity of 24.92% and a net margin of 11.29%. The business had revenue of $800.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $799.44 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Bruker Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bruker Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Monday, September 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.35%. Bruker’s payout ratio is 7.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on BRKR shares. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Bruker in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $78.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price target on Bruker from $95.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Bruker from $72.00 to $60.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Bruker in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Bruker from $74.00 to $72.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.82.

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.