Argent Capital Management LLC Purchases 1,384 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Argent Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 61.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,629 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 1,384 shares during the period. Argent Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Balchem were worth $559,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCPC. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Balchem by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 18,836 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,802,000 after purchasing an additional 3,936 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in Balchem by 19.7% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 7,970 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,186,000 after acquiring an additional 1,309 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 123.0% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 165 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 6,551 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $974,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Balchem during the fourth quarter worth approximately $56,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ BCPC traded up $4.91 during trading on Friday, reaching $172.74. The company had a trading volume of 92,715 shares, compared to its average volume of 107,407. The stock has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.80, a PEG ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.68. Balchem Co. has a 12 month low of $110.74 and a 12 month high of $186.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $165.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.21.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 26th. The basic materials company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.03. Balchem had a net margin of 12.52% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The firm had revenue of $234.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $241.26 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Balchem Co. will post 3.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on BCPC. StockNews.com lowered shares of Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. HC Wainwright lifted their price target on Balchem from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Balchem news, SVP Gunsteren Job Leonard Van sold 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.05, for a total value of $1,395,387.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,540 shares in the company, valued at $1,537,627. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

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.