APG Asset Management N.V. Trims Stock Position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

APG Asset Management N.V. lowered its stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 29.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,945,474 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 822,904 shares during the quarter. Balchem accounts for about 0.9% of APG Asset Management N.V.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. APG Asset Management N.V. owned 0.06% of Balchem worth $306,231,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Balchem in the fourth quarter worth approximately $70,165,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Balchem in the fourth quarter valued at $23,628,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Balchem during the fourth quarter worth approximately $13,359,000. FMR LLC lifted its position 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 worth $94,047,000 after purchasing an additional 79,499 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position 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 worth $83,044,000 after acquiring an additional 50,504 shares in the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Balchem Trading Down 1.1 %

NASDAQ BCPC opened at $154.13 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $165.30 and a 200-day moving average of $168.79. 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 $137.69 and a 12 month high of $186.03. The company has a market cap of $5.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.22, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.75.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 21st. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.11 by ($0.08). Balchem had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 11.37%. The firm had revenue of $240.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.96 million. As a group, equities 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.