Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Has $2.66 Million Stock Position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,910 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,586 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Balchem were worth $2,664,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in BCPC. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Balchem by 123.0% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 165 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Balchem in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of 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. Bill Few Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Balchem in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. acquired a new stake in Balchem during the 4th quarter worth approximately $220,000. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Balchem Stock Performance

Shares of BCPC opened at $140.64 on Thursday. 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $152.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $139.85. Balchem Co. has a 12 month low of $110.74 and a 12 month high of $159.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity

In other Balchem news, CEO Theodore L. Harris sold 34,350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.29, for a total value of $5,299,861.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 66,412 shares in the company, valued at $10,246,707.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Balchem news, CEO Theodore L. Harris sold 34,350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 66,412 shares in the company, valued at $10,246,707.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO William A. Backus sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.19, for a total value of $1,086,330.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,914 shares in the company, valued at $917,793.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 76,630 shares of company stock worth $11,843,249 in the last quarter. 1.77% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Balchem

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.