Ameriprise Financial Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. lessened its holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 23.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 154,720 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 48,459 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned about 0.48% of Balchem worth $25,221,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Balchem by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 989 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $161,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Balchem by 93.8% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 157 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in Balchem by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 9,413 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,534,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC lifted its stake in Balchem by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 2,595 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $423,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Balchem by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,382 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $551,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Balchem Trading Up 0.2%

BCPC stock traded up $0.39 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $169.78. 5,608 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 136,491. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.17, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.93. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $161.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $166.33. Balchem Co. has a 12-month low of $145.70 and a 12-month high of $186.03.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The basic materials company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.25 by ($0.03). Balchem had a return on equity of 11.37% and a net margin of 13.47%. The business had revenue of $250.52 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $245.70 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.03 earnings per share. Balchem's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on BCPC. StockNews.com upgraded Balchem from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Sidoti upgraded shares of Balchem to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, HC Wainwright set a $180.00 target price on shares of Balchem and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th.

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.