Balchem Corporation (NASDAQ:BCPC) Stake Boosted by DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lifted its stake in shares of Balchem Corporation (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 160.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 53,300 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 32,800 shares during the quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale owned 0.16% of Balchem worth $8,596,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Balchem during the fourth quarter worth approximately $70,165,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Balchem by 20,231.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 177,288 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $29,430,000 after buying an additional 176,416 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Balchem in the 4th quarter valued at about $23,628,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of Balchem by 120.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 156,562 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,519,000 after buying an additional 85,692 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Balchem during the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,359,000. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCPC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. HC Wainwright set a $180.00 target price on Balchem and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th.

Balchem Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of BCPC traded down $1.76 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $157.29. 145,169 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 143,495. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The stock has a market cap of $5.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.89. The stock's 50-day moving average is $163.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $162.87. Balchem Corporation has a 12 month low of $145.70 and a 12 month high of $186.03.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last issued 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). The company had revenue of $250.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $245.70 million. Balchem had a net margin of 14.16% and a return on equity of 12.01%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.03 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Balchem Corporation will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.