Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $166.16, but opened at $182.13. Balchem shares last traded at $177.09, with a volume of 10,209 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCPC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. HC Wainwright lifted their price objective on shares of Balchem from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th.

Balchem Trading Up 5.0 %

The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $171.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $162.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.66 billion, a PE ratio of 51.45, a P/E/G ratio of 5.43 and a beta of 0.65.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 26th. The basic materials company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.03. Balchem had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 12.52%. The firm had revenue of $234.08 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $241.26 million. Analysts expect that Balchem Co. will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Balchem

In related news, SVP Gunsteren Job Leonard Van sold 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.05, for a total value of $1,395,387.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,540 shares in the company, valued at $1,537,627. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Balchem

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Balchem by 3.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,935,935 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $609,873,000 after buying an additional 144,423 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Balchem by 32.2% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 193,146 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $29,929,000 after acquiring an additional 47,036 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Balchem by 2.7% during the second quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,155,209 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $177,844,000 after acquiring an additional 29,825 shares during the last quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Balchem in the third quarter valued at about $3,639,000. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Balchem by 8.4% during the 2nd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 233,831 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,998,000 after purchasing an additional 18,104 shares in the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.