Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) Hits New 1-Year High at $163.10

Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $163.10 and last traded at $162.54, with a volume of 21428 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $162.28.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Balchem Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $153.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $149.84. The company has a market cap of $5.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.84, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The basic materials company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $239.66 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $234.12 million. Balchem had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 12.35%. Equities analysts expect that Balchem Co. will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Balchem

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Balchem by 9.8% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 402,621 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $49,941,000 after purchasing an additional 36,011 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Balchem by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 121,530 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $15,075,000 after purchasing an additional 7,973 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in Balchem during the 3rd quarter worth $727,000. Comerica Bank bought a new position in Balchem during the 3rd quarter worth $11,750,000. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in Balchem by 36.0% during the 3rd quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,851 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $354,000 after acquiring an additional 755 shares during the period. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Balchem

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.