Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Trims Stock Position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 13.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,617 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 844 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Balchem were worth $836,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Balchem in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Balchem during the 1st quarter worth $34,000. Gyon Technologies Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Balchem in the 4th quarter worth $56,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Balchem in the first quarter valued at $67,000. Finally, Point72 Middle East FZE purchased a new stake in Balchem during the fourth quarter valued at about $84,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Balchem from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st.

Insider Activity at Balchem

In other Balchem news, CAO William A. Backus sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.73, for a total value of $2,320,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 12,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,998,183.22. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Balchem news, CAO William A. Backus sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.73, for a total value of $2,320,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 12,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,998,183.22. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.21, for a total transaction of $1,700,631.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,032,022.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 76,630 shares of company stock worth $11,843,249. 1.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Balchem Price Performance

Balchem stock opened at $146.76 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $152.31 and a 200-day moving average of $139.01. Balchem Co. has a 52-week low of $110.74 and a 52-week high of $159.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.81, a PEG ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.71.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $228.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $234.66 million. Balchem had a return on equity of 10.69% and a net margin of 11.77%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 4.14 EPS for the current year.

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.