Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) Lowered to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Tuesday.

Separately, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Balchem in a research note on Monday.

Balchem Stock Up 4.8 %

NASDAQ BCPC traded up $8.02 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $173.59. 221,830 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 130,512. Balchem has a 52 week low of $137.69 and a 52 week high of $186.03. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $162.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $169.44. The company has a market cap of $5.64 billion, a PE ratio of 44.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.99 and a quick ratio of 1.16.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 21st. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $240.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.96 million. Balchem had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 11.37%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Balchem will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Balchem

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCPC. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Balchem by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,961,487 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $645,703,000 after acquiring an additional 42,693 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Balchem by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,234,226 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $217,224,000 after purchasing an additional 12,006 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Balchem by 1.8% in the third quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,175,569 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $206,900,000 after buying an additional 20,360 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Balchem by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 938,504 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $153,000,000 after buying an additional 9,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneva Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Balchem by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 819,746 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $133,615,000 after buying an additional 39,877 shares during the period. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.