Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) Shares Down 85.7% - Here's Why

Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded down 85.7% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $156.45 and last traded at $22.46. 65,200 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 50% from the average session volume of 129,356 shares. The stock had previously closed at $156.92.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BCPC shares. StockNews.com lowered Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Sidoti upgraded Balchem to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Balchem in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

Balchem Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $4.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.00, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.75. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $164.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $167.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.99.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The basic materials company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $250.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $245.70 million. Balchem had a return on equity of 11.37% and a net margin of 13.47%. Analysts expect that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Balchem

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Balchem by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,961,487 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $645,703,000 after acquiring an additional 42,693 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 938,504 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $153,000,000 after buying an additional 9,600 shares during the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Balchem by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 819,746 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $133,615,000 after buying an additional 39,877 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in Balchem by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 576,994 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $94,047,000 after acquiring an additional 79,499 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Balchem by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 509,490 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $83,044,000 after acquiring an additional 50,504 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.