Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. Acquires Shares of 3,501 Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,501 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $570,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BCPC. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Balchem in the 4th quarter worth approximately $70,165,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Balchem during the 4th quarter valued at $23,628,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Balchem during the 4th quarter valued at $13,359,000. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Balchem by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 576,994 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $94,047,000 after buying an additional 79,499 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Balchem by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 509,490 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $83,044,000 after buying an additional 50,504 shares during the period. 87.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Balchem Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BCPC traded up $0.33 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $156.88. 202,432 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 134,068. Balchem Co. has a twelve month low of $143.47 and a twelve month high of $186.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.99. The company has a market cap of $5.10 billion, a PE ratio of 39.92, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.75. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $163.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $166.87.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The basic materials company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $250.52 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $245.70 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.03 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Sidoti raised shares of Balchem to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. HC Wainwright set a $180.00 target price on shares of Balchem and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th.

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.