Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) Shares Sold by Laurus Investment Counsel Inc.

Laurus Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,090 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 900 shares during the period. Balchem makes up 1.4% of Laurus Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Laurus Investment Counsel Inc. owned about 0.06% of Balchem worth $2,840,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Operose Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Balchem in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Balchem in the first quarter valued at $34,000. Gyon Technologies Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Balchem in the fourth quarter valued at $56,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Balchem in the first quarter valued at $67,000. Finally, Point72 Middle East FZE bought a new position in Balchem during the 4th quarter valued at $84,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.21, for a total transaction of $1,700,631.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,736 shares in the company, valued at $1,032,022.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.21, for a total transaction of $1,700,631.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 6,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,032,022.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO William A. Backus sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.73, for a total transaction of $2,320,950.00. Following the transaction, 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. Insiders sold a total of 76,630 shares of company stock worth $11,843,249 over the last ninety days. 1.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Balchem Stock Performance

Shares of BCPC opened at $154.46 on Thursday. Balchem Co. has a 12-month low of $110.74 and a 12-month high of $159.52. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $149.73 and its 200-day moving average is $136.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.11, a P/E/G ratio of 4.63 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 2.12 and a quick ratio of 1.38.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.02. Balchem had a net margin of 11.77% and a return on equity of 10.69%. The company had revenue of $228.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $234.66 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Balchem Co. will post 4.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.