Magnetar Financial LLC Acquires New Stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,903 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $310,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Westside Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Balchem in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Balchem during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Balchem in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Balchem in the 4th quarter worth about $95,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Balchem by 230.8% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 645 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on BCPC. StockNews.com cut Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Sidoti upgraded shares of Balchem to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Balchem in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

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Balchem Price Performance

Shares of BCPC stock traded up $0.91 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $166.11. The company had a trading volume of 112,863 shares, compared to its average volume of 114,953. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.99 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The company has a market capitalization of $5.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.27, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.63. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $165.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $169.28. Balchem Co. has a 52-week low of $137.69 and a 52-week high of $186.03.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 21st. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.11 by ($0.08). Balchem had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 11.37%. The firm had revenue of $240.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $239.96 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Balchem Profile

Balchem Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets specialty performance ingredients and products for the nutritional, food, pharmaceutical, animal health, medical device sterilization, plant nutrition, and industrial markets worldwide. It operates through three segments: Human Nutrition and Health, Animal Nutrition and Health, and Specialty Products.