New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 3,404 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

New York State Common Retirement Fund cut its stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 15.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,330 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,404 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned 0.06% of Balchem worth $2,727,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in shares of Balchem by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 6,551 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $974,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Balchem by 123.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 165 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in Balchem by 19.7% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 7,970 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,186,000 after acquiring an additional 1,309 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Balchem by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 18,836 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,802,000 after acquiring an additional 3,936 shares during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Balchem in the 4th quarter worth about $2,395,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on BCPC shares. StockNews.com cut Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on shares of Balchem from $167.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday.

Balchem Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BCPC opened at $153.32 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $150.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $140.98. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Balchem Co. has a 1-year low of $110.74 and a 1-year high of $159.52.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.02. Balchem had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 12.35%. The business had revenue of $228.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $234.66 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Balchem Co. will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Balchem

In related news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of Balchem stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.21, for a total value of $1,700,631.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,032,022.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Theodore L. Harris sold 34,350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.29, for a total value of $5,299,861.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 66,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,246,707.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.21, for a total transaction of $1,700,631.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,736 shares in the company, valued at $1,032,022.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 76,630 shares of company stock valued at $11,843,249 over the last ninety days. 1.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.