UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 9.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 91,742 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 8,091 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.28% of Balchem worth $14,953,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in BCPC. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Balchem by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,961,487 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $645,703,000 after buying an additional 42,693 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Balchem by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 938,504 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $153,000,000 after acquiring an additional 9,600 shares during the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Balchem by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 819,746 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $133,615,000 after purchasing an additional 39,877 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 576,994 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $94,047,000 after purchasing an additional 79,499 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 509,490 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $83,044,000 after purchasing an additional 50,504 shares during the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Balchem Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ BCPC traded up $0.96 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $166.64. 122,253 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 138,527. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.40, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $162.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $165.58. 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 issued its 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 firm had revenue of $250.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $245.70 million. Balchem had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 11.37%. Balchem's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BCPC has been the subject of several analyst reports. HC Wainwright set a $180.00 target price on Balchem and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Sidoti raised shares of Balchem to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

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.