Hsbc Holdings PLC Boosts Stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,915 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Balchem were worth $757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in BCPC. CIBC Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in Balchem during the 4th quarter worth about $289,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of Balchem by 543.6% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 13,676 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,034,000 after buying an additional 11,551 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA raised its position in shares of Balchem by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 239,657 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,649,000 after buying an additional 14,354 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Balchem by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,791,512 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $563,987,000 after buying an additional 30,868 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Balchem by 18.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Balchem Price Performance

BCPC opened at $175.13 on Monday. Balchem Co. has a 1 year low of $110.74 and a 1 year high of $186.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.83. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $171.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $159.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.68 billion, a PE ratio of 49.47, a P/E/G ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 0.65.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 26th. The basic materials company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $234.08 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $241.26 million. Balchem had a net margin of 12.52% and a return on equity of 10.94%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Balchem Co. will post 3.96 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on BCPC shares. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on Balchem from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com downgraded Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.