Congress Wealth Management LLC DE Acquires 2,510 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Congress Wealth Management LLC DE lifted its holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 6.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,287 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,510 shares during the period. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE owned about 0.13% of Balchem worth $6,708,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Balchem by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,791,512 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $563,987,000 after purchasing an additional 30,868 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Balchem by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,083,212 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $161,128,000 after acquiring an additional 6,885 shares during the period. Geneva Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Balchem by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 767,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $114,123,000 after acquiring an additional 3,885 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Balchem by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 687,485 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $102,265,000 after acquiring an additional 11,629 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its stake in Balchem by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 521,590 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $77,587,000 after acquiring an additional 2,801 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Price Performance

BCPC traded up $0.15 during trading on Monday, reaching $154.10. 155,719 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 102,977. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.61. Balchem Co. has a 12-month low of $110.74 and a 12-month high of $159.52. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $151.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $149.24. The company has a market cap of $5.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.53, a PEG ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.68.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The basic materials company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by ($0.05). Balchem had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The company had revenue of $239.66 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $234.12 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 3.86 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. HC Wainwright raised their target price on shares of Balchem from $167.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Balchem from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th.

Insider Activity at Balchem

In related news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 1,929 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.45, for a total value of $297,934.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $753,407.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 1,929 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.45, for a total value of $297,934.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $753,407.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David B. Fischer sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.98, for a total transaction of $764,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,378,196.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Balchem 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.