Bruker (BRKR) Expands Materials Science Research via New Deal
Bruker Corporation BRKR recently acquired a privately held company, Nion, that develops and manufactures innovative high-end scanning transmission electron microscopes (STEM). However, the financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Through the strategic alliance, Bruker is excited to be adding Nion’s high-end STEM products, the electron microscopy technology and expertise to its offerings. The acquisition is likely to be incorporated into the Bruker AXS division, which is part of the Bruker Scientific Instruments (“BSI”) NANO segment.
About Nion
Located in Kirkland, WA, Nion was the first company to introduce aberration correction for STEM instruments with ultra-high stability for the highest-resolution images. Since its founding 26 years ago, the firm has been a major force in advancing state-of-the-art electron microscopy in close collaboration with its customers. The company is renowned for ultra-high energy and spatial resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy and is a premier provider of high-end STEMs for researchers in materials science research worldwide.
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Nion designs and makes state-of-the-art cold field emission guns, aberration correctors, monochromators, sample stages, spectrometers and detectors. This ensures that all the components work together seamlessly and deliver world-class instruments that answer needs in the real world in an integrated and easy-to-use manner. Nion reported approximately $8 million in revenues in 2023.
The Acquisition in Detail
The latest development enhances Bruker’s product offerings and technology portfolio in materials science research and provides the technology base for applications in electron diffraction crystallography.
Nion possesses some unique products for the most demanding research applications in materials science electron microscopy. According to the company’s AXS Division president, Bruker will offer Nion its global market reach and collaborations on new developments to enter new applications in electron diffraction crystallography based on Nion electron microscope and Bruker crystallography technologies.
Industry Prospects
Per a research report, the global scanning electron microscopes market was valued at $3.4 billion in 2020 and is expected to witness a CAGR of 8.5% by 2028.
Notable Developments in the BSI NANO Segment
BSI Nano group boasts bright prospects, given that its microelectronics and semiconductor metrology tools have been booming with strong bookings and backlog over the past few quarters. Nano Life Science fluorescence microscopy is gaining on product innovation and research demand.
The company strategically expands its technology base and product offerings through selected mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances. In this regard, the $108-million buyout deal of PhenomeX is highly complementary to NANO group’s existing cellular and sub-cellular analysis tools, including the high-performance CellScape spatial biology platform.
Further, in October 2023, Bruker announced a comprehensive advancement of its industry-leading TriboIndenter platform with the release of Hysitron TI990. The new system comes with enhancements like new measurement modes, 2X faster testing throughput and a larger 200mm x 300mm testing area, which deliver tangible benefits across a variety of applications and markets.
Price Performance
In the past year, shares of BRKR have decreased 1.4% compared with the industry’s decline of 13.1%.
Zacks Rank and Key Picks
Bruker currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Haemonetics HAE, DaVita DVA and HealthEquity HQY. Haemonetics and HealthEquity each presently carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), and DaVita sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
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HAE’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 16.1%. In the last reported quarter, it posted an earnings surprise of 5.3%.
Estimates for DaVita’s 2023 earnings per share have remained constant at $8.07 in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have increased 36.5% in the past year compared with the industry’s rise of 10%.
DVA’s earnings surpassed estimates in all the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 36.6%. In the last reported quarter, it delivered an average earnings surprise of 48.4%.
Estimates for HealthEquity’s 2023 earnings per share have increased from $2.03 to $2.15 in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have increased 12.1% in the past year against the industry’s 2.1% fall.
HQY’s earnings surpassed estimates in all the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 16.5%. In the last reported quarter, it delivered an average earnings surprise of 22.5%.
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