Clearbridge Investments LLC Has $60.03 Million Position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Clearbridge Investments LLC reduced its stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 368,310 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 37,552 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 1.13% of Balchem worth $60,033,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in Balchem by 63.7% during the fourth quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 35,069 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,438,000 after buying an additional 13,642 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Balchem by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 458,986 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $80,782,000 after acquiring an additional 7,721 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in Balchem by 26.2% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 11,893 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,093,000 after purchasing an additional 2,467 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Balchem in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $503,000. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. increased its stake in Balchem by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 317,610 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $51,769,000 after purchasing an additional 16,170 shares in the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Balchem Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BCPC traded down $2.64 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $157.57. 100,310 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 123,402. The firm has a market cap of $5.13 billion, a PE ratio of 39.75, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.63. Balchem Co. has a fifty-two week low of $137.69 and a fifty-two week high of $186.03. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $165.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $169.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 21st. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.11 by ($0.08). The firm 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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