Pitcairn Co. Purchases 115 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Pitcairn Co. lifted its position in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 3.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,315 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the quarter. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in Balchem were worth $514,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in Balchem by 3.1% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 36,596 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,663,000 after acquiring an additional 1,106 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Balchem by 568.9% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 301 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd bought a new stake in Balchem in the first quarter worth $1,049,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Balchem in the first quarter worth $321,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Balchem by 3.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,935,935 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $609,873,000 after acquiring an additional 144,423 shares in the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Balchem

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

Balchem Stock Down 0.1 %

BCPC stock opened at $174.81 on Friday. Balchem Co. has a 1-year low of $110.74 and a 1-year high of $180.76. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $157.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $151.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.38, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.68.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The basic materials company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.05). Balchem had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 12.35%. The business had revenue of $239.66 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $234.12 million. Equities analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on BCPC. StockNews.com raised Balchem from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on Balchem from $167.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th.

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.