Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) Shares Acquired by Wells Fargo & Company MN

Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 13.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,365 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,846 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN owned 0.15% of Balchem worth $7,883,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Balchem during the fourth quarter worth approximately $70,165,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Balchem during the 4th quarter valued at $23,628,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Balchem during the 4th quarter worth $13,359,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position 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 worth $83,044,000 after purchasing an additional 50,504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Balchem by 405.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 60,777 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $10,695,000 after purchasing an additional 48,762 shares in the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BCPC has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Balchem in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Sidoti upgraded Balchem to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Balchem Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BCPC traded up $2.05 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $159.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 20,326 shares, compared to its average volume of 130,422. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.99. Balchem Co. has a 1-year low of $137.69 and a 1-year high of $186.03. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $164.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $167.47. The firm has a market cap of $5.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.60, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.75.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $240.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.96 million. Balchem had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 11.37%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal 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.