Point72 Asset Management L.P. Takes Position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 9,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,467,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in Balchem by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 989 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $161,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its position in Balchem by 93.8% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 157 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position 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 worth $1,534,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Mariner LLC increased its position 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 buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in Balchem by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,382 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $551,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on BCPC shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. 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. Finally, Sidoti raised Balchem to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Balchem Stock Performance

Shares of BCPC traded up $1.48 on Tuesday, reaching $167.44. 99,474 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 137,394. The firm has a market cap of $5.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.57, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.93. 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 $145.70 and a 12 month high of $186.03. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $161.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $165.99.

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 net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 11.37%. The company had revenue of $250.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $245.70 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.03 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal 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.