Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) Stake Raised by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 10.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 53,060 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 5,045 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.16% of Balchem worth $8,649,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Man Group plc purchased a new stake in Balchem during the 4th quarter worth about $461,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in Balchem by 86.3% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 25,709 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $4,190,000 after acquiring an additional 11,909 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Balchem by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 18,407 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,000,000 after buying an additional 732 shares during the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Balchem during the fourth quarter worth about $240,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 258.2% in the 4th quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 37,767 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $6,156,000 after buying an additional 27,224 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.91% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BCPC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Balchem from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. HC Wainwright set a $180.00 price target on Balchem and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Sidoti upgraded shares of Balchem to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Balchem Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of BCPC stock traded up $1.06 on Tuesday, reaching $170.45. 173,664 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 137,200. The stock has a market cap of $5.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.93. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $161.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $166.36. 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 1-year low of $145.70 and a 1-year high of $186.03.

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

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.