Man Group plc Acquires Shares of 2,827 Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Man Group plc bought a new position in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,827 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $461,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in shares of Balchem by 93.8% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 157 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Balchem during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Federated Hermes Inc. purchased a new position in Balchem in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Balchem during the fourth quarter worth $95,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Balchem by 230.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 645 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Balchem Trading Down 0.0%

BCPC stock traded down $0.08 during trading on Friday, reaching $166.10. 153,968 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 138,521. The business's 50 day moving average price is $162.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $165.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.42 billion, a PE ratio of 42.26, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.93. Balchem Co. has a 52-week low of $145.70 and a 52-week high of $186.03. 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 (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The basic materials company reported $1.22 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $245.70 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.03 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BCPC shares. Sidoti raised Balchem to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, HC Wainwright set a $180.00 price target on Balchem and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th.

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.