Raymond James Trust N.A. Lowers Stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Raymond James Trust N.A. trimmed its holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 3.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 60 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A.’s holdings in Balchem were worth $276,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BCPC. Tributary Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 0.3% during the second quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 135,185 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $20,812,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the period. Argent Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Balchem by 61.6% in the 2nd quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 3,629 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $559,000 after acquiring an additional 1,384 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 1.9% in the second quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 16,300 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,509,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in shares of Balchem by 1.9% during the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 50,348 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $7,751,000 after acquiring an additional 927 shares during the period. Finally, Moseley Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Balchem during the second quarter worth about $981,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Balchem

In related news, SVP Gunsteren Job Leonard Van sold 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.05, for a total value of $1,395,387.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,537,627. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Balchem Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ BCPC opened at $171.70 on Thursday. 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 50-day moving average price of $166.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $156.92. Balchem Co. has a 52 week low of $110.74 and a 52 week high of $186.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.68.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 26th. The basic materials company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $234.08 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $241.26 million. Balchem had a net margin of 12.52% and a return on equity of 10.94%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Balchem Co. will post 3.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on BCPC. 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 lowered Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th.

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.