William Blair Investment Management LLC Increases Holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 233,831 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,104 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Balchem were worth $35,998,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCPC. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in Balchem by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 3,926 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $604,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Balchem by 18.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. increased its holdings in Balchem by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 3,315 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $514,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in Balchem by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 9,034 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,391,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 7,278 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,120,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Price Performance

BCPC stock opened at $171.82 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $170.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $158.60. Balchem Co. has a 52 week low of $110.74 and a 52 week 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 firm has a market capitalization of $5.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 0.65.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 26th. The basic materials company reported $0.98 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $241.26 million. Analysts anticipate that Balchem Co. will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Balchem

In related news, SVP Gunsteren Job Leonard Van sold 7,750 shares of the firm’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 completion of 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 can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCPC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. HC Wainwright boosted their target price on Balchem from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com cut Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th.

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.