Farringdon Capital Ltd. Invests $417,000 in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Farringdon Capital Ltd. purchased a new stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,559 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $417,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in Balchem during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,929,000. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in Balchem in the fourth quarter valued at $2,114,000. Mariner LLC grew its position in Balchem by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 2,595 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $423,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Balchem by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 67,213 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $10,955,000 after acquiring an additional 6,436 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Balchem by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,382 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $551,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on BCPC shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Sidoti raised shares of Balchem to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Balchem in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

Balchem Stock Up 1.0 %

Balchem stock traded up $1.51 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $159.01. 42,831 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 130,513. 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 Co. has a fifty-two week low of $137.69 and a fifty-two week high of $186.03. The company's fifty day moving average price is $164.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $167.47. The company has a market cap of $5.17 billion, a PE ratio of 40.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.75.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 21st. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $240.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $239.96 million. On average, research analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.