Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) Given New $185.00 Price Target at HC Wainwright

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) had its target price increased by stock analysts at HC Wainwright from $170.00 to $185.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. HC Wainwright’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 3.84% from the company’s previous close.

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday.

Balchem Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BCPC opened at $178.16 on Wednesday. Balchem has a twelve month low of $110.74 and a twelve month high of $186.03. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market capitalization of $5.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.62 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $159.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $153.00.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The basic materials company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $239.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $234.12 million. Balchem had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 12.52%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Balchem will post 4.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David B. Fischer sold 5,000 shares of Balchem stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.98, for a total value of $764,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,378,196.82. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Balchem news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 1,929 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 4,878 shares in the company, valued at approximately $753,407.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David B. Fischer sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.98, for a total value of $764,900.00. Following the sale, the director now 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 company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Balchem

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Balchem by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,935,935 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $609,873,000 after purchasing an additional 144,423 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Balchem by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,155,209 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $177,844,000 after purchasing an additional 29,825 shares during the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Balchem by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 767,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $114,123,000 after purchasing an additional 3,885 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Balchem by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 687,485 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $102,265,000 after purchasing an additional 11,629 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Balchem by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 521,590 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $77,587,000 after purchasing an additional 2,801 shares during the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.