Man Group plc Invests $461,000 in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Man Group plc acquired a new stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,827 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $461,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Balchem by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,961,487 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $645,703,000 after purchasing an additional 42,693 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Balchem by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 938,504 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $153,000,000 after buying an additional 9,600 shares during the period. Geneva Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Balchem by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 819,746 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $133,615,000 after buying an additional 39,877 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Balchem by 16.0% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 576,994 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $94,047,000 after buying an additional 79,499 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Balchem by 11.0% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BCPC opened at $165.96 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Balchem Co. has a twelve month low of $145.70 and a twelve month high of $186.03. The company has a fifty day moving average of $161.82 and a 200-day moving average of $165.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.23, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.93.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 11.37%. The firm had revenue of $250.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $245.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.03 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BCPC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. HC Wainwright set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Balchem and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Sidoti raised shares of Balchem to a “hold” rating in a research note 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.