GAMMA Investing LLC Has $73,000 Stock Holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 18.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Balchem were worth $73,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Balchem by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,791,512 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $563,987,000 after buying an additional 30,868 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Balchem by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,083,212 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $161,128,000 after acquiring an additional 6,885 shares during the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC raised its position in Balchem by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 767,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $114,123,000 after purchasing an additional 3,885 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Balchem by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 687,485 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $102,265,000 after purchasing an additional 11,629 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 521,590 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $77,587,000 after purchasing an additional 2,801 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Balchem

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 shares were 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, 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 transaction of $764,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,378,196.82. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 1,929 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.45, for a total transaction of $297,934.05. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,878 shares in the company, valued at approximately $753,407.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Stock Performance

Shares of Balchem stock opened at $151.60 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $150.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $148.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.70. Balchem Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.74 and a fifty-two week high of $159.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.72.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). Balchem had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The firm had revenue of $239.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $234.12 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on BCPC. StockNews.com raised Balchem from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th. HC Wainwright boosted their target price on Balchem from $167.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th.

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.