Natixis Advisors LLC Purchases 1,721 Shares of Balchem Corporation (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Balchem Corporation by 7.6%, holding $4.04 million worth of shares after acquiring an additional 1,721 shares in Q1.
• Institutional ownership in Balchem is high, with 87.91% of the stock currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds, reflecting strong investor interest.
• Balchem reported a quarterly EPS of $1.27, surpassing estimates, and achieved a year-over-year revenue increase of 9.1%, totaling $255.47 million.

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Balchem Corporation (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 7.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,336 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,721 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.07% of Balchem worth $4,040,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Balchem by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 989 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $161,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in Balchem by 93.8% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 157 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Balchem by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 1,421 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in Balchem by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 3,840 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $626,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP increased its stake in Balchem by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 1,504 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $250,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCPC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $189.00 price target (up previously from $180.00) on shares of Balchem in a research note on Monday.

Balchem Trading Down 0.3%

BCPC traded down $0.55 on Thursday, hitting $159.45. The company had a trading volume of 245,542 shares, compared to its average volume of 193,493. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $159.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $162.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 2.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Balchem Corporation has a 12-month low of $145.70 and a 12-month high of $185.96. The company has a market cap of $5.18 billion, a PE ratio of 36.57, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.88.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $255.47 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $250.31 million. Balchem had a return on equity of 12.41% and a net margin of 14.48%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Balchem Corporation will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

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.