Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. Acquires 3,936 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 26.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,836 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,936 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Balchem were worth $2,802,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Comerica Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Balchem during the third quarter valued at approximately $11,750,000. Congress Asset Management Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Balchem by 32.5% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 225,303 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,947,000 after buying an additional 55,203 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Balchem by 142.7% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 85,647 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,624,000 after buying an additional 50,351 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Balchem by 25.0% during the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 183,916 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $22,813,000 after buying an additional 36,729 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Balchem by 9.8% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 402,621 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $49,941,000 after buying an additional 36,011 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Balchem Trading Down 3.1 %

Shares of BCPC stock opened at $140.64 on Thursday. Balchem Co. has a 12-month low of $110.74 and a 12-month high of $159.52. The company has a current ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $152.45 and its 200 day moving average is $139.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.00, a P/E/G ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.71.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.02. Balchem had a net margin of 11.77% and a return on equity of 10.69%. The company had revenue of $228.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $234.66 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Balchem Co. will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Balchem 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.