Geneva Capital Management LLC Raises Stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Geneva Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 767,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,885 shares during the period. Balchem comprises about 2.2% of Geneva Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Geneva Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Balchem were worth $114,123,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BCPC. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of Balchem by 123.0% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 165 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Balchem in the third quarter worth about $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Balchem during the fourth quarter worth about $56,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Balchem by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 953 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $142,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in Balchem in the 4th quarter worth approximately $209,000. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BCPC. HC Wainwright boosted their price objective on shares of Balchem from $167.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th.

Balchem Stock Up 1.1 %

BCPC stock traded up $1.74 during trading on Thursday, hitting $155.02. 78,646 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 104,535. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Balchem Co. has a 52-week low of $110.74 and a 52-week high of $159.52. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $150.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $141.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.14, a PEG ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.72.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $228.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $234.66 million. Balchem had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 12.35%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.66 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Balchem Co. will post 4.1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Balchem

In related news, 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 transaction of $1,700,631.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 6,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,032,022.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Balchem news, CAO William A. Backus sold 9,180 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 12,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,019,362.18. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of Balchem stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,032,022.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 76,630 shares of company stock worth $11,843,249. 1.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.