APG Asset Management N.V. Sells 822,904 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

APG Asset Management N.V. decreased its position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 29.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,945,474 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 822,904 shares during the quarter. Balchem comprises 0.9% of APG Asset Management N.V.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. APG Asset Management N.V. owned 5.98% of Balchem worth $306,231,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Balchem in the fourth quarter worth $70,165,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Balchem in the fourth quarter worth about $23,628,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Balchem during the 4th quarter worth about $13,359,000. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Balchem by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 576,994 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $94,047,000 after acquiring an additional 79,499 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Balchem by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 509,490 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $83,044,000 after acquiring an additional 50,504 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on BCPC shares. Sidoti raised Balchem to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Balchem in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

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Balchem Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BCPC traded up $4.64 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $160.73. The stock had a trading volume of 188,554 shares, compared to its average volume of 127,663. Balchem Co. has a twelve month low of $137.69 and a twelve month high of $186.03. 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 business's fifty day moving average is $164.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $168.10. The company has a market cap of $5.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.90, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.75.

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

About Balchem

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.