Atomi Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Atomi Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 6.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,674 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Balchem were worth $295,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCPC. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Balchem by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 37,117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,751,000 after acquiring an additional 6,652 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Balchem by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,791,512 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $563,987,000 after purchasing an additional 30,868 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of Balchem by 21.3% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 18,059 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,795,000 after purchasing an additional 3,176 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Balchem during the 1st quarter worth approximately $495,000. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. MA lifted its holdings in Balchem by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 258,116 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $39,995,000 after buying an additional 18,459 shares in the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Balchem Trading Up 1.2 %

NASDAQ BCPC opened at $172.21 on Friday. Balchem Co. has a 52 week low of $110.74 and a 52 week high of $186.03. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $170.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $161.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.58 billion, a PE ratio of 48.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.43 and a beta of 0.65.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 26th. The basic materials company reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $234.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $241.26 million. Balchem had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 12.52%. As a group, research analysts expect that Balchem Co. will post 3.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Gunsteren Job Leonard Van sold 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.05, for a total transaction of $1,395,387.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,540 shares in the company, valued at $1,537,627. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on BCPC shares. StockNews.com lowered Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. HC Wainwright increased their price target on Balchem from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st.

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.