Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Boosts Stock Position in Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its position in shares of Bruker Co. (NASDAQ:BRKR) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 634,909 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,198 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned 0.42% of Bruker worth $37,218,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in Bruker by 4,636.4% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 521 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Bruker by 2,324.1% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 703 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Bruker by 37.5% during 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 last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Bruker by 47.5% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,279 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Bruker by 41.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,330 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. 79.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America lifted their price target on Bruker from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. 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 target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Bruker from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Bruker from $69.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Bruker in a report on Monday, February 24th. Six equities 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.50.

Bruker Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BRKR opened at $42.08 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Bruker Co. has a 1-year low of $41.80 and a 1-year high of $94.35. The company has a market capitalization of $6.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.37, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a 50-day moving average of $50.54 and a 200-day moving average of $56.91.

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

Bruker Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.48%. Bruker’s payout ratio is currently 26.32%.

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.