Russell Investments Group Ltd. Raises Holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 35,263 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,067 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.11% of Balchem worth $5,245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BCPC. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Balchem by 123.0% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 165 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Balchem during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Balchem in the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Balchem by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 953 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $142,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. Finally, Bill Few Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Balchem in the 4th quarter worth approximately $212,000. 87.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on shares of Balchem from $167.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com cut shares of Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Balchem

In other Balchem news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of Balchem stock in a transaction 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Balchem news, CEO Theodore L. Harris sold 34,350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.29, for a total value of $5,299,861.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 66,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,246,707.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the business’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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,032,022.56. 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. 1.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Balchem Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of BCPC opened at $155.02 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.03 billion, a PE ratio of 43.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s fifty day moving average is $150.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.39. Balchem Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.74 and a fifty-two week high of $159.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $228.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $234.66 million. Balchem had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 11.03%. Balchem’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.66 EPS. Analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current year.

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.