Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. Lowers Position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. cut its stake in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 21.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,300 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Balchem were worth $699,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in Balchem by 123.0% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 165 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Balchem during the third quarter valued at $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in Balchem during the fourth quarter valued at $56,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Balchem by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 953 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $142,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bill Few Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Balchem in the fourth quarter valued at about $212,000. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Balchem Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of BCPC stock opened at $139.26 on Friday. Balchem Co. has a 12-month low of $110.74 and a 12-month high of $159.52. The company has a current ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $152.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $139.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.71.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.02. Balchem had a return on equity of 10.69% and a net margin of 11.77%. The company had revenue of $228.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $234.66 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Balchem

In related news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.21, for a total value of $1,700,631.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,736 shares in the company, valued at $1,032,022.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Michael Robert Sestrick sold 11,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.21, for a total value of $1,700,631.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,736 shares in the company, valued at $1,032,022.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Theodore L. Harris sold 34,350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.29, for a total value of $5,299,861.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 66,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,246,707.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 76,630 shares of company stock worth $11,843,249 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.77% of the company’s stock.

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.