Fact based stock research
Balchem (NasdaqGS:BCPC)
US0576652004
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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
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Balchem stock research in summary
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 48 (worse than 52% compared with investment alternatives), Balchem (Specialty Chemicals, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Balchem are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 43 (worse than 57% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 61) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 54, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 48, is a hold recommendation based on Balchem's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company Balchem exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 43), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 61). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 54) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
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360° Viewnew| Country | USA |
| Industry | Specialty Chemicals |
| Index | NASDAQ |
| Size class | Medium |
14-Nov-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.
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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.
Research History: Balchem
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 21 |
|
37 |
|
43 |
|
43 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 64 |
|
31 |
|
33 |
|
61 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 29 |
|
80 |
|
53 |
|
54 |
|
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
86 |
|
72 |
|
new |
|
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | n/a |
|
70 |
|
47 |
|
new |
|
Combined financial peformance in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 48 (worse than 52% compared with investment alternatives), Balchem (Specialty Chemicals, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Balchem are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 43 (worse than 57% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 61) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 54, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 48, is a hold recommendation based on Balchem's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company Balchem exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 43), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 61). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 54) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 21 |
|
37 |
|
43 |
|
43 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 64 |
|
31 |
|
33 |
|
61 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 29 |
|
80 |
|
53 |
|
54 |
|
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 24 |
|
52 |
|
29 |
|
48 |
|
Value Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 43 (worse than 57% compared with alternatives), Balchem shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Balchem. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 86% of comparable companies, making the stock an attractive buy for dividend investors. However, dividend investors may get disappointed because all other critical financial indicators are below the market median: Price-to-Sales is 23 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 77% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Balchem's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 24 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 76% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 17 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 83% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 43, is a hold recommendation based on Balchem's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick Balchem? The company-reported financials speak against it. The company is expensive compared with revenue and invested capital levels, two reliable company size indicators. In addition, it currently has a low level of profits. How can future dividends be paid in the case that profits remain low? Dividend investors should choose Balchem only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more
| VALUE METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | 25 |
|
22 |
|
20 |
|
23 |
|
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | 39 |
|
18 |
|
23 |
|
24 |
|
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | 14 |
|
14 |
|
24 |
|
17 |
|
| DIVIDEND YIELD | ||||||||
| DIVIDEND YIELD | 43 |
|
86 |
|
84 |
|
86 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | 21 |
|
37 |
|
43 |
|
43 |
|
Growth Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 61 (better than 61% compared with alternatives), Balchem shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Balchem. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 49, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 51% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 45, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 38. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 62% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 81, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 81% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 61, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for Balchem, and it still looks bad, but some investors already see light at the end of the tunnel, rewarding the stock with recent above-market stock returns. It could also mean that investors are correcting an overreaction to negative news. If that were the case, the positive stock returns are not yet a sign of recovery. Investors should look closely at the Value and Sentiment indicators before they make a stock purchasing decision, because growth is unlikely to be the driving argument behind this investment. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is low here. ...read more
| GROWTH METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 45 |
|
39 |
|
40 |
|
49 |
|
| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 42 |
|
43 |
|
39 |
|
38 |
|
| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | n/a |
|
17 |
|
25 |
|
45 |
|
| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 80 |
|
83 |
|
69 |
|
81 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 64 |
|
31 |
|
33 |
|
61 |
|
Safety Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 54 (better than 54% compared with alternatives), the company Balchem has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. This doesn't mean that the business of Balchem is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for Balchem. Leverage is at a rank of 60, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 60% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 74, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 74% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 15, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 85% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 54 (better than 54% compared with alternatives), Balchem has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for Balchem. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with Balchem and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more
| SAFETY METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 39 |
|
69 |
|
51 |
|
60 |
|
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 16 |
|
15 |
|
23 |
|
15 |
|
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 64 |
|
94 |
|
82 |
|
74 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 29 |
|
80 |
|
53 |
|
54 |
|
Sentiment Metrics in Detail
| SENTIMENT | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANALYST OPINIONS | ||||||||
| ANALYST OPINIONS | n/a |
|
27 |
|
50 |
|
new |
|
| OPINIONS CHANGE | ||||||||
| OPINIONS CHANGE | n/a |
|
50 |
|
50 |
|
new |
|
| PRO HOLDINGS | ||||||||
| PRO HOLDINGS | n/a |
|
90 |
|
62 |
|
new |
|
| MARKET PULSE | ||||||||
| MARKET PULSE | n/a |
|
94 |
|
71 |
|
new |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
86 |
|
72 |
|
new |
|
Free stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for Balchem from November 14, 2024.
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