Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) Stock Price Down 83.6% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Balchem's stock price experienced a dramatic drop of 83.6% on Friday, trading as low as $24.40 from its previous close of $149.20.
• Despite the downfall, analysts have mixed opinions, with HC Wainwright setting a $180 target price and maintaining a "buy" rating, while Wall Street Zen downgraded the stock to "hold."
• Balchem reported earnings of $1.22 per share, falling short of analysts' expectations of $1.25, though its revenue increased by 4.5% year-over-year to $250.52 million.
• Institutional investors own 87.91% of Balchem's stock, with several firms increasing their positions amidst the stock's volatility.

Shares of Balchem Corporation (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) were down 83.6% on Friday . The company traded as low as $149.06 and last traded at $24.40. Approximately 14,866 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 161,783 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.20.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on BCPC shares. HC Wainwright set a $180.00 target price on Balchem and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st.

Balchem Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The firm has a market cap of $4.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $162.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $162.42.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The basic materials company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by ($0.03). Balchem had a return on equity of 12.01% and a net margin of 14.16%. The firm had revenue of $250.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $245.70 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.03 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Balchem Corporation will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Balchem

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BCPC. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Balchem by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,452 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. increased its position in shares of Balchem by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 2,313 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Balchem during the fourth quarter worth approximately $871,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of Balchem during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,113,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Balchem by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 18,242 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,943,000 after purchasing an additional 1,636 shares in the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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