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

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BCPC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. HC Wainwright upped their target price on Balchem from $167.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. StockNews.com upgraded Balchem from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th.

Balchem Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $152.50 and a 200-day moving average of $149.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.68.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The basic materials company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $234.12 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David B. Fischer sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.98, for a total transaction of $764,900.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 9,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,378,196.82. 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 the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.98, for a total value of $764,900.00. Following 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, 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 in the company, valued at $753,407.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.25% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Balchem by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 3,183 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $453,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its position in shares of Balchem by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 53,300 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $8,175,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Balchem during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $321,000. Comerica Bank raised its position in shares of Balchem by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 98,620 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $15,281,000 after buying an additional 3,416 shares during the period. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Balchem during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $265,000. 87.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.