Russell Investments Group Ltd. Purchases 1,067 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 35,263 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 1,067 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Balchem were worth $5,245,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of BCPC. Comerica Bank bought a new stake in shares of Balchem during the 3rd quarter worth $11,750,000. Congress Asset Management Co. MA boosted its holdings in Balchem by 32.5% in the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 225,303 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,947,000 after purchasing an additional 55,203 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Balchem by 142.7% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 85,647 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,624,000 after purchasing an additional 50,351 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Balchem by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 183,916 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $22,813,000 after purchasing an additional 36,729 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Balchem by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 402,621 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $49,941,000 after purchasing an additional 36,011 shares during the period. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Balchem Price Performance

NASDAQ:BCPC opened at $155.02 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $150.94 and a 200-day moving average of $141.39. The company has a market capitalization of $5.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.79, a PEG ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.72. Balchem Co. has a 52 week low of $110.74 and a 52 week high of $159.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.61.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $228.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $234.66 million. Balchem had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Balchem Co. will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BCPC has been the subject of a number of research reports. HC Wainwright increased their price target on shares of Balchem from $167.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th.

Insider Transactions at Balchem

In related news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, 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 the SEC website. In related news, CAO William A. Backus sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.19, for a total transaction of $1,086,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $917,793.66. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now 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 three months, insiders sold 76,630 shares of company stock valued at $11,843,249. Company insiders own 1.77% of the company’s stock.

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.