Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) Downgraded to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Tuesday.

Separately, HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Balchem in a report on Monday, February 24th.

Balchem Stock Performance

NASDAQ BCPC traded up $2.03 on Tuesday, hitting $174.03. 134,481 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 131,741. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.99 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The business's fifty day moving average is $162.41 and its 200 day moving average is $169.56. Balchem has a 52 week low of $137.69 and a 52 week high of $186.03. The company has a market capitalization of $5.66 billion, a PE ratio of 44.28, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.69.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last released 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 company had revenue of $240.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.96 million. Research analysts anticipate that Balchem will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Balchem

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BCPC. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Balchem by 944.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 497,495 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $87,559,000 after acquiring an additional 449,854 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Balchem in the fourth quarter valued at about $70,165,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Balchem during the fourth quarter worth about $23,628,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Balchem by 120.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 156,562 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,519,000 after purchasing an additional 85,692 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Balchem during the fourth quarter worth about $13,359,000. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Balchem

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.