Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) PT Raised to $170.00 at HC Wainwright

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) had its price objective lifted by equities research analysts at HC Wainwright from $167.00 to $170.00 in a report released on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. HC Wainwright’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 9.34% from the stock’s previous close.

Separately, StockNews.com cut Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th.

Balchem Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BCPC opened at $155.48 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $151.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $141.21. Balchem has a 52-week low of $110.74 and a 52-week high of $159.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.61.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.95 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $228.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $234.66 million. During the same period 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. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Balchem will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Balchem

In other Balchem news, CAO William A. Backus sold 9,180 shares of Balchem stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.37, for a total value of $1,435,476.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 12,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,019,362.18. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CAO William A. Backus sold 9,180 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.37, for a total value of $1,435,476.60. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 12,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,019,362.18. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,736 shares in the company, valued at $1,032,022.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 76,630 shares of company stock worth $11,843,249. Company insiders own 1.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in Balchem by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 14,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,803,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Balchem by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 7,935 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $984,000 after buying an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Balchem by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 25,684 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,186,000 after acquiring an additional 1,515 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in Balchem by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 6,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $826,000 after acquiring an additional 931 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Balchem by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 14,244 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,767,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. 87.91% of the stock is currently 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.