Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. Increases Holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. increased its stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 5.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 44,255 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 2,402 shares during the quarter. Balchem accounts for approximately 1.8% of Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. owned 0.14% of Balchem worth $6,583,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cardinal Capital Management raised its position in Balchem by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 19,539 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,922,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Balchem by 123.0% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 165 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Balchem by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,814 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $597,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in Balchem by 0.7% in the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 14,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,803,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisor Partners II LLC grew its position in shares of Balchem by 5.8% during the third quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 2,124 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Trading Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ BCPC traded up $1.35 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $145.07. The company had a trading volume of 70,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 104,036. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.71. Balchem Co. has a 1-year low of $110.74 and a 1-year high of $159.52. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $152.36 and a 200 day moving average of $139.71. The company has a current ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $228.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $234.66 million. Balchem had a net margin of 11.77% and a return on equity of 10.69%. Balchem’s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Balchem Co. will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Balchem

In other Balchem news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.21, for a total transaction of $1,700,631.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,736 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,032,022.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Balchem news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of Balchem stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.21, for a total value of $1,700,631.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,736 shares in the company, valued at $1,032,022.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO William A. Backus sold 9,180 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.37, for a total transaction of $1,435,476.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 12,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,019,362.18. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 76,630 shares of company stock worth $11,843,249 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.77% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Balchem from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st.

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.