Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) Downgraded to Hold at StockNews.com

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

Balchem Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of BCPC stock traded down $2.14 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $138.50. 111,231 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 104,319. The stock has a market cap of $4.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.71. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $152.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.85. Balchem has a 52-week low of $110.74 and a 52-week high of $159.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 2.12 and a quick ratio of 1.38.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.02. Balchem had a net margin of 11.77% and a return on equity of 10.69%. The firm had revenue of $228.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $234.66 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. Balchem’s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Balchem will post 4.14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Balchem

In other news, CAO William A. Backus sold 7,000 shares of Balchem stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.19, for a total transaction of $1,086,330.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $917,793.66. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Balchem news, CAO William A. Backus sold 7,000 shares of Balchem stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.19, for a total value of $1,086,330.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $917,793.66. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO William A. Backus sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.73, for a total value of $2,320,950.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 12,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,998,183.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 76,630 shares of company stock worth $11,843,249 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Balchem

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Balchem by 123.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 165 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Balchem in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Balchem in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Balchem in the fourth quarter valued at about $56,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Balchem by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 953 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $142,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

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.