Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Acquires 9,787 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 331,106 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,787 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 1.03% of Balchem worth $49,252,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BCPC. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Balchem by 123.0% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 165 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Balchem during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in Balchem during the fourth quarter worth approximately $56,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Balchem by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 953 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $142,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in Balchem during the fourth quarter worth approximately $209,000. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Balchem Stock Down 0.5 %

BCPC stock traded down $0.80 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $155.83. The company had a trading volume of 81,568 shares, compared to its average volume of 92,048. Balchem Co. has a 1 year low of $110.74 and a 1 year high of $159.52. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market capitalization of $5.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.02, a PEG ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a 50 day moving average of $150.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.09.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.02. Balchem had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The company had revenue of $228.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $234.66 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. The company's revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Balchem Co. will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Balchem news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 1,929 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.45, for a total value of $297,934.05. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,878 shares of the company's stock, valued at $753,407.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 1,929 shares of Balchem stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.45, for a total value of $297,934.05. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,878 shares in the company, valued at $753,407.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David B. Fischer sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.98, for a total value of $764,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,378,196.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 83,559 shares of company stock worth $12,906,083 in the last quarter. 1.77% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on BCPC shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Balchem from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. HC Wainwright upped their price target on shares of Balchem from $167.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th.

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.