California Public Employees Retirement System Cuts Holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

California Public Employees Retirement System reduced its stake in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 103,171 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 2,529 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned 0.32% of Balchem worth $16,816,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Balchem in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Balchem in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Balchem in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Balchem during the 4th quarter worth $95,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Balchem by 230.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 645 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $106,000 after buying an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Balchem Trading Up 6.1 %

Shares of Balchem stock traded up $9.14 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $159.64. 276,208 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 126,604. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $164.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $168.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.75. Balchem Co. has a twelve month low of $137.69 and a twelve month high of $186.03.

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Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm had revenue of $240.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $239.96 million. Research analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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