Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) Upgraded at Sidoti

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Sidoti to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Balchem in a report on Monday. StockNews.com cut Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday.

Balchem Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ BCPC opened at $172.69 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.94, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.69. Balchem has a one year low of $137.69 and a one year high of $186.03. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $162.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $169.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.99 and a quick ratio of 1.16.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 21st. The basic materials company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.11 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $240.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.96 million. Balchem had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 11.37%. As a group, analysts expect that Balchem will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Balchem

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BCPC. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Balchem by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,961,487 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $645,703,000 after purchasing an additional 42,693 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Balchem by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,234,226 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $217,224,000 after buying an additional 12,006 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Balchem by 1.8% during the third quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,175,569 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $206,900,000 after buying an additional 20,360 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Balchem by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 938,504 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $153,000,000 after acquiring an additional 9,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneva Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Balchem by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 819,746 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $133,615,000 after acquiring an additional 39,877 shares during the period. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.