Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Trims Position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC trimmed its position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,990 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 572 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Balchem were worth $1,954,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BCPC. Swiss National Bank grew its position in Balchem by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 63,800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,399,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in Balchem by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,415 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,372,000 after buying an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in Balchem by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,452 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Balchem by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 5,123 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $835,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in Balchem by 21.7% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 8,471 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,381,000 after purchasing an additional 1,510 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of BCPC stock opened at $163.79 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.68, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.63. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $165.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $169.23. 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 52 week low of $137.69 and a 52 week high of $186.03.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last issued 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). Balchem had a return on equity of 11.37% and a net margin of 13.47%. The firm had revenue of $240.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $239.96 million. Analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BCPC. StockNews.com cut shares of Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Balchem in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Sidoti upgraded Balchem to a “hold” rating in a research note 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.