Schroder Investment Management Group Cuts Stock Position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Schroder Investment Management Group decreased its position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 367,230 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 22,587 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group owned about 1.13% of Balchem worth $60,215,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Balchem by 944.3% during the 3rd 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 purchased a new position in shares of Balchem during the 4th quarter worth approximately $70,165,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Balchem during the 4th quarter worth approximately $23,628,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Balchem during the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,359,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Balchem by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 509,490 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $83,044,000 after buying an additional 50,504 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BCPC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Sidoti raised Balchem to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Balchem in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

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Balchem Trading Down 3.2 %

Balchem stock traded down $5.19 during trading on Friday, hitting $155.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 92,897 shares, compared to its average volume of 123,310. The stock's fifty day moving average is $165.52 and its 200 day moving average is $169.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.99. Balchem Co. has a 1-year low of $137.69 and a 1-year high of $186.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.44, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.63.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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). Balchem had a return on equity of 11.37% and a net margin of 13.47%. The company had revenue of $240.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.96 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

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.