Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Decreases Position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lowered its position in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 632,004 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 10,765 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Balchem were worth $103,016,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Balchem by 93.8% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 157 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Balchem in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Balchem in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Federated Hermes Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Balchem during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Balchem during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Balchem Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of BCPC stock opened at $153.64 on Monday. Balchem Co. has a 1 year low of $137.69 and a 1 year high of $186.03. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $164.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $167.13. The company has a market cap of $5.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.09, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.75. 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 quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The basic materials company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.25 by ($0.03). Balchem had a return on equity of 11.37% and a net margin of 13.47%. The company had revenue of $250.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $245.70 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.