Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) Shares Bought by Wasatch Advisors LP

Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 27.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,069,516 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 439,827 shares during the quarter. Balchem makes up approximately 1.6% of Wasatch Advisors LP’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Wasatch Advisors LP owned approximately 6.42% of Balchem worth $261,752,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Balchem by 7.8% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 75,037 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $9,491,000 after buying an additional 5,401 shares in the last quarter. Trust Investment Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Balchem during the fourth quarter valued at $206,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of Balchem by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 80,496 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,829,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. HRT Financial LP acquired a new stake in Balchem in the fourth quarter worth about $1,554,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Balchem by 58.3% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 39,295 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,970,000 after buying an additional 14,472 shares during the period. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Balchem Trading Up 0.2 %

BCPC traded up $0.28 during trading on Friday, reaching $132.51. The company had a trading volume of 6,482 shares, compared to its average volume of 91,376. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a current ratio of 2.94. Balchem Co. has a 12-month low of $116.68 and a 12-month high of $143.88. The company has a market cap of $4.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.07 and a beta of 0.69. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $134.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $130.48.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.13. Balchem had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 10.43%. The company had revenue of $231.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $241.00 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Balchem Co. will post 3.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCPC has been the subject of a number of research reports. HC Wainwright increased their price target on Balchem from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 31st. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Balchem in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

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 in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Human Nutrition and Health, Animal Nutrition and Health, and Specialty Products.