Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) Shares Down 86.3% – Should You Sell?

Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) shares traded down 86.3% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $159.06 and last traded at $22.97. 82,664 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 33% from the average session volume of 122,909 shares. The stock had previously closed at $167.35.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Sidoti raised Balchem to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com cut Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Balchem in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

Balchem Stock Down 2.8 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $5.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $165.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $169.04.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 21st. The basic materials company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.08). Balchem had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 11.37%. The firm had revenue of $240.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.96 million. Equities analysts expect that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Balchem

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCPC. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Balchem by 534.2% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 241 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Balchem by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 3,840 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $626,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Balchem during the fourth quarter worth $3,246,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in Balchem by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 91,742 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $14,953,000 after purchasing an additional 8,091 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Balchem by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 26,178 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,267,000 after buying an additional 7,608 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

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.