Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) Downgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Thursday morning.

Balchem Stock Performance

BCPC stock opened at $139.26 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $4.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.57, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $152.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.94. Balchem has a one year low of $110.74 and a one year high of $159.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 2.12.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $228.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $234.66 million. Balchem had a net margin of 11.77% and a return on equity of 10.69%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Balchem will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Balchem

In related news, CAO William A. Backus sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.73, for a total value of $2,320,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 12,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,998,183.22. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 6,736 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,032,022.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO William A. Backus sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.73, for a total transaction of $2,320,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 12,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,998,183.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 76,630 shares of company stock valued at $11,843,249 in the last three months. 1.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Balchem

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in Balchem by 123.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 165 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Balchem in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Balchem in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Balchem in the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,000. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Balchem in the 1st quarter worth approximately $69,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Company 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.