Raymond James & Associates Acquires 1,901 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC – Get Rating) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 51,527 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,901 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates’ holdings in Balchem were worth $6,292,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd lifted its stake in Balchem by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd now owns 52,397 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,398,000 after buying an additional 1,353 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its holdings in Balchem by 38.9% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 15,548 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,899,000 after purchasing an additional 4,353 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Balchem in the 4th quarter valued at about $66,000. Montanaro Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Montanaro Asset Management Ltd now owns 158,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $19,293,000 after purchasing an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Balchem by 31.6% during the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 99,070 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $12,097,000 after buying an additional 23,786 shares during the period. 89.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Balchem

In related news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 2,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.36, for a total value of $299,828.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,424 shares in the company, valued at approximately $707,072.64. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Balchem news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 2,300 shares of Balchem stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.36, for a total transaction of $299,828.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,424 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $707,072.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David B. Fischer sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.01, for a total transaction of $381,030.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,269 shares in the company, valued at $2,193,335.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Balchem Stock Performance

BCPC opened at $124.17 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 2.88. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $126.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $129.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.00 billion, a PE ratio of 40.58 and a beta of 0.70. Balchem Co. has a 52-week low of $110.15 and a 52-week high of $143.88.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $232.54 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $232.00 million. Balchem had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 10.69%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Balchem Co. will post 3.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BCPC has been the topic of several research reports. HC Wainwright cut their target price on Balchem from $152.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Monday, February 27th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Balchem in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock.

Balchem Company Profile

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Balchem Corp. provides marketing of specialty performance ingredients and products. It operates through the following segments: Human Nutrition and Health, Animal Nutrition and Health, Specialty Products and Industrial Products. The Human Nutrition and Health segment supplies ingredients in the food and beverage industry, providing customized solutions in powder, solid and liquid flavor delivery systems, spray dried emulsified powder systems, and cereal systems.