Quantbot Technologies LP Acquires New Holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 5,342 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $871,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in shares of 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 last quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP boosted its stake in Balchem by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 1,420 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC grew its position in Balchem by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 2,462 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Balchem in the third quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Balchem by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 5,123 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $835,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Balchem in a research report on Monday, February 24th. StockNews.com cut Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Sidoti upgraded Balchem to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Balchem Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of Balchem stock opened at $165.20 on Thursday. Balchem Co. has a 1 year low of $137.69 and a 1 year 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. The stock has a market cap of $5.37 billion, a PE ratio of 42.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.63. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $165.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.28.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 21st. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.11 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $240.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.96 million. Balchem had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 11.37%. Equities research analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current 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.