Geode Capital Management LLC Buys 9,600 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 938,504 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,600 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.89% of Balchem worth $153,000,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC grew its stake in Balchem by 63.7% during the 4th quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 35,069 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $5,438,000 after acquiring an additional 13,642 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Balchem by 1.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 458,986 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $80,782,000 after purchasing an additional 7,721 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in Balchem by 26.2% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 11,893 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,093,000 after purchasing an additional 2,467 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Balchem during the 4th quarter worth about $503,000. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 317,610 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $51,769,000 after buying an additional 16,170 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company's stock.

Balchem Stock Performance

BCPC traded up $4.64 on Friday, hitting $160.73. The company had a trading volume of 188,554 shares, compared to its average volume of 127,663. The stock has a market cap of $5.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.90, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The company's fifty day moving average price is $164.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $168.10. Balchem Co. has a 1-year low of $137.69 and a 1-year high of $186.03.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 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%. Equities analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BCPC has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Balchem in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Sidoti upgraded shares of 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.