Legal & General Group Plc Sells 3,207 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Legal & General Group Plc lowered its position in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 92,083 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 3,207 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.28% of Balchem worth $15,009,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Westside Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Balchem during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Balchem during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Balchem during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Balchem in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Balchem in the fourth quarter valued at $95,000. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on BCPC shares. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Balchem in a research note on Monday, February 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Sidoti raised Balchem to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Balchem Stock Performance

Balchem stock traded down $1.94 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $159.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,185 shares, compared to its average volume of 129,149. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $164.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $167.65. Balchem Co. has a 1-year low of $137.69 and a 1-year high of $186.03. The company has a market cap of $5.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.60, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.99 and a quick ratio of 1.16.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 earnings per share for the current year.

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.