Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC Purchases New Shares in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC bought a new stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 21,427 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $3,639,000. Balchem comprises 0.8% of Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC's holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Balchem at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 568.9% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 301 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Balchem by 18.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 473 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in Balchem in the 2nd quarter valued at $200,000. Heritage Family Offices LLP acquired a new stake in Balchem in the 2nd quarter worth $206,000. Finally, Sage Rhino Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Balchem during the 2nd quarter worth about $207,000. Institutional investors own 87.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Gunsteren Job Leonard Van sold 7,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.05, for a total transaction 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. HC Wainwright lifted their price target on shares of Balchem from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st.

Balchem Price Performance

NASDAQ:BCPC traded up $2.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $172.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 93,345 shares, compared to its average volume of 106,979. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $170.65 and a 200-day moving average of $160.91. The company has a market capitalization of $5.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.07, a P/E/G ratio of 5.43 and a beta of 0.65. Balchem Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.74 and a fifty-two week high of $186.03.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 26th. The basic materials company reported $0.98 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 business had revenue of $234.08 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $241.26 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 3.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.