Head-To-Head Comparison: Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) and Kewaunee Scientific (NASDAQ:KEQU)

Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) and Kewaunee Scientific (NASDAQ:KEQU) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, risk and valuation.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Bruker and Kewaunee Scientific”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bruker	$3.37 billion	1.94	$113.10 million	$0.52	83.10
Kewaunee Scientific	$240.47 million	0.72	$11.40 million	$3.83	15.26

Bruker has higher revenue and earnings than Kewaunee Scientific. Kewaunee Scientific is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Bruker, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Bruker and Kewaunee Scientific, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bruker	0	6	4	0	2.40
Kewaunee Scientific	0	0	0	0	0.00

Bruker presently has a consensus price target of $52.89, indicating a potential upside of 22.40%. Given Bruker’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Bruker is more favorable than Kewaunee Scientific.

Dividends

Bruker pays an annual dividend of $0.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Kewaunee Scientific pays an annual dividend of $0.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Bruker pays out 38.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Kewaunee Scientific pays out 19.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Kewaunee Scientific is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Profitability

This table compares Bruker and Kewaunee Scientific’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bruker	2.31%	19.47%	5.95%
Kewaunee Scientific	4.74%	26.02%	9.87%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

79.5% of Bruker shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 32.7% of Kewaunee Scientific shares are owned by institutional investors. 27.3% of Bruker shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 14.2% of Kewaunee Scientific shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility and Risk

Bruker has a beta of 1.18, meaning that its stock price is 18% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Kewaunee Scientific has a beta of 0.7, meaning that its stock price is 30% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Bruker beats Kewaunee Scientific on 10 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

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. It offers life science tools, and single and multiple modality systems; life science mass spectrometry; MALDI Biotyper rapid pathogen identification platform and related test kits, DNA test strips, and fluorescence-based polymerase chain reaction technology; genotype and fluorotype molecular diagnostics kits; research, analytical, and process analysis instruments and solutions; SARS-CoV 2 testing for the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection; and Fluorotyper-SARS-CoV 2 plus kits. It also provides range of portable analytical and bioanalytical detection systems, and related products; X-ray instruments; analytical tools for electron microscopes, as well as handheld, portable, and mobile X-ray fluorescence spectrometry instruments; atomic force microscopy instrumentation; non-contact nanometer resolution solution topography; and automated X-ray metrology, automated AFM defect-detection, and photomask repair and cleaning equipment. In addition, the company offers advanced optical fluorescence microscopy instruments; products and services to support the multi-omics needs of researchers in translational research, drug, and biomarker discovery; superconducting materials, such as metallic low temperature superconductors; devices and complex tools based on metallic low temperature superconductors; and non-superconducting high technology tools, such as synchrotron and beamline instrumentation. The company was incorporated in 1991 and is headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts.

About Kewaunee Scientific

Kewaunee Scientific Corporation designs, manufactures, and installs laboratory, healthcare, and technical furniture and infrastructure products. The company operates through two segments, Domestic and International. Its products include steel and wood casework, fume hoods, adaptable modular systems, moveable workstations, stand-alone benches, biological safety cabinets, and epoxy resin work surfaces and sinks. The company's laboratory products are used in chemistry, physics, biology, and other general science laboratories in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, industrial, chemical, commercial, educational, government, and health care markets; and technical products are used in facilities manufacturing computers and light electronics and by users of computer and networking furniture. It sells its products primarily through dealers, its subidiaries, and a national distributor. The company was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Statesville, North Carolina.