Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) Stock Price Down 85.3% – What’s Next?

Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) were down 85.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $166.50 and last traded at $24.46. Approximately 7,701 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 94% from the average daily volume of 136,774 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.50.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on BCPC shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Balchem in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Sidoti upgraded shares of Balchem to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Balchem Stock Up 0.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.63. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $163.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $169.74.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Balchem

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC grew its holdings in Balchem by 63.7% in the fourth quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 35,069 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,438,000 after purchasing an additional 13,642 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Balchem by 1.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 458,986 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $80,782,000 after purchasing an additional 7,721 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in Balchem by 26.2% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 11,893 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,093,000 after purchasing an additional 2,467 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Balchem in the fourth quarter worth $503,000. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. grew its holdings in Balchem by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 317,610 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $51,769,000 after purchasing an additional 16,170 shares during the period. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.