Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

Separately, 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.

Balchem Price Performance

Shares of BCPC traded up $1.41 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $156.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 66,885 shares, compared to its average volume of 104,121. Balchem has a fifty-two week low of $110.74 and a fifty-two week high of $159.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.19, a PEG ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $150.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $141.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.72.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $228.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $234.66 million. Balchem had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 12.35%. Balchem's revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Balchem will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Balchem news, Director David B. Fischer sold 5,000 shares of Balchem stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.98, for a total transaction of $764,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,009 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,378,196.82. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director David B. Fischer sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.98, for a total transaction of $764,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,009 shares in the company, valued at $1,378,196.82. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.21, for a total value of $1,700,631.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,736 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,032,022.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 81,630 shares of company stock valued at $12,608,149. Corporate insiders own 1.77% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Balchem

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BCPC. Heritage Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Balchem during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $226,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its stake in shares of Balchem by 71.0% in the fourth quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 51,300 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $7,662,000 after acquiring an additional 21,300 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Balchem by 7.0% during the third quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 121,530 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $15,075,000 after acquiring an additional 7,973 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Balchem during the 3rd quarter valued at $465,000. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. MA boosted its holdings in Balchem by 32.5% in the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 225,303 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $27,947,000 after purchasing an additional 55,203 shares during the period. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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