Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Boosts Position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,805 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 561 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Balchem were worth $2,202,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. raised its position in Balchem by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,890,972 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $668,595,000 after buying an additional 46,959 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Balchem by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,862,027 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $469,545,000 after purchasing an additional 261,534 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Balchem by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,109,115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $149,520,000 after purchasing an additional 23,065 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Balchem by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,076,327 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $133,508,000 after purchasing an additional 21,605 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Balchem by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 661,893 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $83,715,000 after purchasing an additional 6,576 shares in the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Balchem

In related news, CAO William A. Backus sold 15,000 shares of Balchem stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.73, for a total value of $2,320,950.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 12,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,998,183.22. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Balchem news, CAO William A. Backus sold 7,000 shares of Balchem stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $917,793.66. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO William A. Backus sold 15,000 shares of Balchem stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.73, for a total transaction of $2,320,950.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 12,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,998,183.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 76,630 shares of company stock valued at $11,843,249. 1.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Balchem Price Performance

NASDAQ:BCPC opened at $143.48 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 2.12 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market cap of $4.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $152.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $139.36. Balchem Co. has a 1-year low of $110.74 and a 1-year high of $159.52.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.02. Balchem had a net margin of 11.77% and a return on equity of 10.69%. The firm had revenue of $228.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $234.66 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 4.14 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Balchem from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st.

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.