GAMMA Investing LLC Purchases New Shares in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 401 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in BCPC. Cardinal Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Balchem by 0.4% in the 4th 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. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Balchem by 123.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 165 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. SageView Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Balchem by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,814 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $597,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its position in Balchem by 0.7% during the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 14,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,803,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor Partners II LLC increased its stake in shares of Balchem by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 2,124 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of BCPC stock opened at $143.82 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $151.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $140.37. Balchem Co. has a 52 week low of $110.74 and a 52 week high of $159.52. The stock has a market cap of $4.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.93, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $228.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $234.66 million. Balchem had a net margin of 11.77% and a return on equity of 10.69%. The business’s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. Analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 6,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,032,022.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was 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 owns 6,736 shares in the company, valued at $1,032,022.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Theodore L. Harris sold 34,350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 66,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,246,707.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 76,630 shares of company stock valued at $11,843,249 over the last three months. 1.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th.

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.