Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) Hits New 1-Year High at $160.00

Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $160.00 and last traded at $159.20, with a volume of 14959 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $158.82.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Balchem from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. HC Wainwright raised their price target on shares of Balchem from $167.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th.

Balchem Stock Up 0.6 %

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $152.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $149.51. The company has a market capitalization of $5.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.61.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The basic materials company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $239.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $234.12 million. Balchem had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 12.35%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Balchem

In other news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 1,929 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.45, for a total transaction of $297,934.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $753,407.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director David B. Fischer sold 5,000 shares of Balchem stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.98, for a total transaction of $764,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,378,196.82. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 1,929 shares of Balchem stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.45, for a total transaction of $297,934.05. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $753,407.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.25% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Balchem

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCPC. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Balchem by 18.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management grew its position in shares of Balchem by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 19,539 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,922,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Balchem by 123.0% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 165 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in Balchem by 2.8% during the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 3,867 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Pitcairn Co. grew its holdings in Balchem by 3.6% during the first quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 3,315 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $514,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.