Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) Upgraded to Buy at StockNews.com

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

Separately, HC Wainwright lifted their target price on Balchem from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st.

Balchem Trading Down 0.4 %

NASDAQ BCPC traded down $0.67 during trading on Monday, hitting $170.79. The stock had a trading volume of 200,390 shares, compared to its average volume of 106,656. Balchem has a one year low of $113.90 and a one year high of $186.03. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $171.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $162.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.25, a P/E/G ratio of 5.43 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.83.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 26th. The basic materials company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $234.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $241.26 million. Balchem had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 12.52%. Sell-side analysts predict that Balchem will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Balchem news, SVP Gunsteren Job Leonard Van sold 7,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,537,627. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.25% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Balchem

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new position in Balchem during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Balchem by 568.9% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 301 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Balchem by 642.5% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 839 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $148,000 after purchasing an additional 726 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Balchem by 73.4% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 841 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $148,000 after purchasing an additional 356 shares during the period. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in Balchem during the third quarter worth $220,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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