Squarepoint Ops LLC Purchases New Position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 2,502 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $385,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BCPC. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Balchem by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,935,935 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $609,873,000 after acquiring an additional 144,423 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of 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. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Balchem by 2.7% during the second quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,155,209 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $177,844,000 after purchasing an additional 29,825 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA increased its stake in Balchem by 7.7% during the first quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 258,116 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $39,995,000 after acquiring an additional 18,459 shares during the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Balchem by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 233,831 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,998,000 after purchasing an additional 18,104 shares during the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Balchem Price Performance

Shares of Balchem stock opened at $170.18 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $170.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $160.91. Balchem Co. has a twelve month low of $110.74 and a twelve month high of $186.03. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.07, a PEG ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 0.65.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 26th. The basic materials company reported $0.98 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $241.26 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Balchem Co. will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Balchem

In other news, SVP Gunsteren Job Leonard Van sold 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.05, for a total value of $1,395,387.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,537,627. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BCPC has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. HC Wainwright lifted their target price 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.

Balchem 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.