B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Lowers Stock Holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lessened its stake in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 21.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 10,777 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,008 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Balchem were worth $1,757,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BCPC. Westside Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Balchem in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Balchem during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Balchem during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Balchem in the fourth quarter valued at about $95,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Balchem by 230.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 645 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Balchem Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BCPC opened at $167.35 on Thursday. Balchem Co. has a 12 month low of $137.69 and a 12 month high of $186.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.63. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $165.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $169.22. 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 (NASDAQ:BCPC) last posted its earnings results 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). The firm 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BCPC. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Balchem in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Sidoti raised Balchem to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note 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.