DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Has $3.11 Million Position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale reduced its holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 61.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 32,800 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale owned approximately 0.06% of Balchem worth $3,105,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of BCPC. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Balchem in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,233,000. APG Asset Management US Inc. bought a new stake in Balchem in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,164,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Balchem by 4,678.4% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 262,671 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $39,072,000 after purchasing an additional 257,174 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Balchem by 3.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,935,935 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $609,873,000 after purchasing an additional 144,423 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Balchem by 32.2% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 193,146 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $29,929,000 after purchasing an additional 47,036 shares in the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. HC Wainwright increased their price objective on shares of Balchem from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st.

Insider Transactions at Balchem

In related news, SVP Gunsteren Job Leonard Van sold 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.05, for a total value of $1,395,387.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,537,627. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.25% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Balchem Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of BCPC stock opened at $176.04 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $171.03 and a 200-day moving average of $159.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Balchem Co. has a 12-month low of $110.74 and a 12-month high of $186.03. The company has a market capitalization of $5.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.73, a P/E/G ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 0.65.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 26th. The basic materials company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.03. Balchem had a net margin of 12.52% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The company had revenue of $234.08 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $241.26 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.