Benjamin Edwards Inc. Acquires 138 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,231 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Balchem were worth $344,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Balchem during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Balchem by 568.9% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 301 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Balchem during the 1st quarter worth $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Balchem by 18.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Balchem during the 2nd quarter worth $200,000. Institutional investors own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Price Performance

Shares of BCPC stock opened at $174.73 on Friday. Balchem Co. has a 1-year low of $110.74 and a 1-year high of $186.03. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $171.48 and its 200 day moving average is $159.29. The company has a market cap of $5.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.36, a PEG ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 2.83 and a quick ratio of 1.79.

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

Insider Activity at Balchem

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. HC Wainwright increased their price target on Balchem from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com downgraded Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th.

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.