Fmr LLC Acquires 79,499 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 16.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 576,994 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 79,499 shares during the period. FMR LLC owned approximately 1.77% of Balchem worth $94,047,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Balchem by 15.3% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,229 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $391,000 after buying an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in Balchem by 26.2% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 11,893 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,093,000 after acquiring an additional 2,467 shares in the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its stake in Balchem by 123.1% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 3,266 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $575,000 after purchasing an additional 1,802 shares during the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Balchem by 6.7% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 11,341 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,996,000 after purchasing an additional 708 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 405.8% during the third 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.91% of the company's stock.

Balchem Stock Performance

BCPC traded down $4.58 during trading on Monday, hitting $156.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 120,923 shares, compared to its average volume of 129,606. Balchem Co. has a one year low of $137.69 and a one year high of $186.03. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $164.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $167.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm has a market cap of $5.11 billion, a PE ratio of 39.93, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.75.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 analysts' expectations of $239.96 million. Balchem had a return on equity of 11.37% and a net margin of 13.47%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on BCPC shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Sidoti upgraded shares of Balchem to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Balchem in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

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.