Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Invests $2.40 Million in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 16,100 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $2,395,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cardinal Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Balchem by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 19,539 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,922,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Balchem by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,083,212 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $161,128,000 after buying an additional 6,885 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Balchem by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 14,805 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,202,000 after buying an additional 561 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its position in shares of Balchem by 71.0% during the 4th quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 51,300 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $7,662,000 after buying an additional 21,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 17.8% during 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 last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Balchem Price Performance

BCPC traded down $1.82 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $143.80. The stock had a trading volume of 62,573 shares, compared to its average volume of 104,871. The company has a market cap of $4.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.71. Balchem Co. has a 1 year low of $110.74 and a 1 year high of $159.52. The business has a fifty day moving average of $152.43 and a 200 day moving average of $139.20. 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 - Get Free Report) last released its 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. Balchem had a net margin of 11.77% and a return on equity of 10.69%. The company had revenue of $228.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $234.66 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO William A. Backus sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.19, for a total transaction of $1,086,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,914 shares of the company's stock, valued at $917,793.66. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Theodore L. Harris sold 34,350 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.29, for a total value of $5,299,861.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 66,412 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,246,707.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO William A. Backus sold 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.19, for a total value of $1,086,330.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,914 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $917,793.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 76,630 shares of company stock valued at $11,843,249. Insiders own 1.77% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Balchem from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st.

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.