Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) Stock Holdings Boosted by Bahl & Gaynor Inc.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,058 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,143 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. owned about 0.14% of Balchem worth $6,851,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its holdings in shares of Balchem by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 20,394 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,034,000 after buying an additional 2,695 shares during the last quarter. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. raised its stake in Balchem by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. now owns 44,255 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,583,000 after acquiring an additional 2,402 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Balchem during the 4th quarter worth $56,000. National Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Balchem in the fourth quarter worth $436,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in shares of Balchem by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 6,551 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $974,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the period. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.21, for a total value of $1,700,631.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,736 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,032,022.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Balchem news, CAO William A. Backus sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $917,793.66. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.21, for a total transaction of $1,700,631.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 6,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,032,022.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 76,630 shares of company stock worth $11,843,249. Corporate insiders own 1.77% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Price Performance

NASDAQ:BCPC traded up $0.76 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $139.26. 58,508 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 103,753. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $152.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $139.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a market capitalization of $4.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.71. Balchem Co. has a one year low of $110.74 and a one year high of $159.52.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday.

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.