Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) Sets New 52-Week High at $160.00

Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $160.00 and last traded at $159.20, with a volume of 14959 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $158.82.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Balchem from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. HC Wainwright raised their target price on shares of Balchem from $167.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th.

Balchem Trading Up 0.6 %

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $151.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $149.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.86, a PEG ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The basic materials company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.05). Balchem had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 12.35%. The business had revenue of $239.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $234.12 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 3.86 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 value of $764,900.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 9,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,378,196.82. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director David B. Fischer sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.98, for a total transaction of $764,900.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,378,196.82. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 1,929 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.45, for a total transaction of $297,934.05. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,878 shares in the company, valued at $753,407.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Balchem

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Balchem by 123.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 165 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Balchem during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in Balchem by 568.9% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 301 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Balchem in the fourth quarter worth $56,000. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Balchem during the first quarter worth $69,000. Institutional investors own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Company 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.