Dark Forest Capital Management LP Invests $561,000 in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,439 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $561,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BCPC. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Balchem in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $70,165,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Balchem during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $23,628,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Balchem during the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,359,000. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Balchem by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 576,994 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $94,047,000 after purchasing an additional 79,499 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Balchem by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 509,490 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $83,044,000 after purchasing an additional 50,504 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.91% of the company's stock.

Balchem Price Performance

Shares of BCPC stock traded up $2.45 on Monday, reaching $156.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 145,439 shares, compared to its average volume of 132,747. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $137.69 and a 12-month high of $186.03. The company has a market capitalization of $5.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.72, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.75. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $163.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $167.02.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The basic materials company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by ($0.03). Balchem had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 11.37%. The firm had revenue of $250.52 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $245.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.03 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BCPC. HC Wainwright set a $180.00 price objective on Balchem and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Sidoti upgraded Balchem to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Balchem 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.