Insider Selling: Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) SVP Sells $1,395,387.50 in Stock

Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) SVP Gunsteren Job Leonard Van sold 7,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.05, for a total value of $1,395,387.50. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Balchem Stock Performance

Shares of Balchem stock opened at $171.47 on Monday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $161.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $153.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.83. Balchem Co. has a one year low of $110.74 and a one year high of $186.03. The company has a market cap of $5.56 billion, a PE ratio of 48.44, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.68.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The basic materials company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.05). Balchem had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 12.52%. The firm had revenue of $239.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $234.12 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 3.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Balchem

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Balchem by 3.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,935,935 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $609,873,000 after buying an additional 144,423 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Balchem by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,155,209 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $177,844,000 after acquiring an additional 29,825 shares in the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Balchem by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 767,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $114,123,000 after purchasing an additional 3,885 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Balchem by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 687,485 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $102,265,000 after purchasing an additional 11,629 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Balchem by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 521,590 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $77,587,000 after purchasing an additional 2,801 shares in the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.