California Public Employees Retirement System Has $16.82 Million Holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

California Public Employees Retirement System trimmed its stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 103,171 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,529 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Balchem were worth $16,816,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCPC. Westside Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Balchem during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Balchem in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Balchem in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Balchem during the 4th quarter worth $95,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted 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 valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the period. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCPC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Sidoti upgraded Balchem to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Balchem in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

Balchem Stock Down 2.8 %

NASDAQ BCPC opened at $155.78 on Friday. Balchem Co. has a twelve month low of $137.69 and a twelve month high of $186.03. The stock has a market cap of $5.07 billion, a PE ratio of 39.64, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.63. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $165.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $169.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.99.

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