Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Boosts Stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 43.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,527 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,049 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.11% of Balchem worth $5,954,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Balchem by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,234,226 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $217,224,000 after acquiring an additional 12,006 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Balchem by 3.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 928,904 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $163,514,000 after buying an additional 27,979 shares during the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Balchem by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 819,746 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $133,615,000 after buying an additional 39,877 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Balchem by 944.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 497,495 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $87,559,000 after buying an additional 449,854 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Balchem by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 458,986 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $80,782,000 after acquiring an additional 7,721 shares during the period. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Balchem Stock Performance

BCPC traded up $0.91 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $166.11. 112,863 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 114,953. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.63. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $165.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $169.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Balchem Co. has a 1-year low of $137.69 and a 1-year high of $186.03.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Sidoti raised Balchem to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Balchem in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

Balchem Company 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.