Montanaro Asset Management Ltd Sells 19,550 Shares of Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR)

Montanaro Asset Management Ltd decreased its position in shares of Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 426,950 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 19,550 shares during the period. Bruker accounts for 5.2% of Montanaro Asset Management Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Montanaro Asset Management Ltd owned approximately 0.28% of Bruker worth $25,028,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of BRKR. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Bruker by 2,324.1% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 703 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Bruker by 37.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 909 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Bruker by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,279 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 412 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Bruker by 41.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,330 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the period. 79.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bruker Stock Performance

Shares of BRKR opened at $43.51 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $51.15 and a 200-day moving average of $57.25. The company has a market cap of $6.60 billion, a PE ratio of 57.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.18. Bruker Co. has a one year low of $42.70 and a one year high of $94.52.

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The medical research company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.01. Bruker had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 21.01%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Bruker Co. will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Bruker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 0.46%. Bruker’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on BRKR shares. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Bruker from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Bruker in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $66.00 target price on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on Bruker from $69.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Bruker from $70.00 to $57.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, December 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Bruker has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.50.

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.