B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Decreases Stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lessened its stake in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 21.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,777 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 3,008 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Balchem were worth $1,757,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Balchem by 944.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 497,495 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $87,559,000 after purchasing an additional 449,854 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Balchem in the 4th quarter worth approximately $70,165,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Balchem in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $23,628,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Balchem during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $13,359,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Balchem by 11.0% in the fourth 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 period. 87.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Balchem Stock Performance

Shares of Balchem stock traded down $1.96 on Monday, hitting $153.82. 72,748 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 124,015. Balchem Co. has a 1 year low of $137.69 and a 1 year high of $186.03. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $165.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $168.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.00 billion, a PE ratio of 39.20, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.75. 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 (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 11.37%. The business had revenue of $240.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $239.96 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.