Aviva PLC Decreases Holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Aviva PLC cut its stake in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC – Get Rating) by 36.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,603 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,409 shares during the period. Aviva PLC’s holdings in Balchem were worth $21,005,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in BCPC. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Balchem during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. TCI Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Balchem by 261.3% during the 3rd quarter. TCI Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 271 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Balchem during the 1st quarter valued at $67,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Balchem during the 4th quarter valued at $66,000. Finally, Focused Wealth Management Inc grew its position in shares of Balchem by 3,881.3% during the 4th quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc now owns 637 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 621 shares during the period. 89.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BCPC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. HC Wainwright dropped their target price on shares of Balchem from $152.00 to $140.00 in a report on Monday, February 27th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Balchem in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a “hold” rating for the company.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David B. Fischer sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.01, for a total value of $381,030.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,269 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,193,335.69. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 2,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.36, for a total value of $299,828.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,424 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $707,072.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David B. Fischer sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.01, for a total transaction of $381,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,269 shares in the company, valued at $2,193,335.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ BCPC opened at $122.81 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $126.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $129.58. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.13 and a beta of 0.70. Balchem Co. has a 12-month low of $110.15 and a 12-month high of $143.88.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $232.54 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $232.00 million. Balchem had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 10.69%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Balchem Co. will post 3.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Balchem Company Profile

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Balchem Corp. provides marketing of specialty performance ingredients and products. It operates through the following segments: Human Nutrition and Health, Animal Nutrition and Health, Specialty Products and Industrial Products. The Human Nutrition and Health segment supplies ingredients in the food and beverage industry, providing customized solutions in powder, solid and liquid flavor delivery systems, spray dried emulsified powder systems, and cereal systems.