Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 159,276 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 7,086 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.49% of Balchem worth $28,033,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCPC. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Balchem by 16.3% in the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,186 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $913,000 after purchasing an additional 728 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Balchem by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,175,569 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $206,900,000 after purchasing an additional 20,360 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its position in shares of Balchem by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 301,440 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $53,053,000 after purchasing an additional 33,373 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its position in shares of Balchem by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 1,589 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Argent Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Balchem by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 4,185 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 556 shares during the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BCPC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Balchem from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. HC Wainwright upped their target price on shares of Balchem from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th.

Balchem Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of Balchem stock traded up $1.01 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $179.34. The company had a trading volume of 21,990 shares, compared to its average volume of 109,869. The company's 50-day moving average is $172.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.99. Balchem Co. has a twelve month low of $120.76 and a twelve month high of $186.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.98 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The company has a market cap of $5.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.41 and a beta of 0.65.

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.