Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 632,004 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 10,765 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 1.94% of Balchem worth $103,016,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Balchem by 405.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 60,777 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $10,695,000 after purchasing an additional 48,762 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Balchem in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Balchem during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Balchem by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 7,975 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,404,000 after acquiring an additional 761 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Balchem in the 3rd quarter valued at about $203,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BCPC. Sidoti upgraded Balchem to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com lowered Balchem from a "buy" rating 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.

Balchem Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BCPC traded up $3.62 during trading on Friday, hitting $160.50. 25,591 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 133,657. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.99 and a quick ratio of 1.16. Balchem Co. has a 12-month low of $143.47 and a 12-month high of $186.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.73, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.93. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $163.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $166.77.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last posted 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). The firm had revenue of $250.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $245.70 million. Balchem had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 11.37%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.03 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.