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MONTVALE, N.J., Oct. 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Balchem Corporation (NASDAQ: BCPC) today reported financial results for its 2026 fiscal third quarter ended September 30, 2026. For the quarter, the Company reported net sales of $290.7 million, net earnings of $46.7 million, adjusted EBITDA(a) of $80.3 million, and free cash flow(a) of $57.9 million.Ted Harris, Chairman, President and CEO of Balchem, said, “Balchem delivered another excellent quarter, with healthy growth across all three of our reporting segments and record consolidated quarterly net sales, net earnings, and adjusted EBITDA.”
Third Quarter 2026 Financial Highlights:
Net sales were $290.7 million, an increase of 8.6% from the prior year quarter.GAAP net earnings were $46.7 million, an increase of 16.0% from the prior year quarter.Adjusted EBITDA was $80.3 million, an increase of 12.4% from the prior year quarter.GAAP earnings per share were $1.46 compared to $1.24 in the prior year quarter and adjusted earnings per share(a) were $1.57 compared to $1.35 in the prior year quarter.Cash flows from operations were $69.8 million, with free cash flow of $57.9 million.Sales and earnings from operations growth in all three of our reporting segments. Recent Highlights:
At the upcoming SupplySide Global trade show, we will showcase several of our latest Human Nutrition and Health technologies and innovations, including new science supporting VitaCholine®, K2VITAL™, Optifolin+® and OptiMSM®, as well as advances in performance nutrition and functional food and beverage applications. These innovations highlight the strength of our pipeline and our continued focus on developing differentiated, science-backed solutions that address important human health and wellness trends.Balchem repurchased approximately $28 million of common stock during the third quarter and approximately $127 million over the trailing twelve months, reflecting the Company's balanced capital allocation strategy and commitment to long-term shareholder value creation. Mr. Harris added, “With strong results through the first nine months of the year and a healthy balance sheet, Balchem is well positioned to continue executing our strategic growth initiatives, and we remain excited about the future of our company.”
Results for Period EndedSeptember 30, 2026 (unaudited)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data) Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2026 2025 2026 2025 Net sales $290,658 $267,558 $845,364 $773,544 Gross margin 105,714 95,453 310,481 276,734 Operating expenses 43,277 40,874 133,197 119,698 Earnings from operations 62,437 54,579 177,284 157,036 Interest and other expenses 2,393 2,535 6,937 8,041 Earnings before income tax expense 60,044 52,044 170,347 148,995 Income tax expense 13,316 11,755 38,719 33,375 Net earnings $46,728 $40,289 $131,628 $115,620 Diluted net earnings per common share $1.46 $1.24 $4.09 $3.54 Adjusted EBITDA (a) $80,297 $71,447 $232,522 $206,961 Adjusted net earnings (a) $50,350 $43,982 $141,437 $125,560 Adjusted net earnings per common share (a) $1.57 $1.35 $4.40 $3.84 Shares used in the calculations of diluted and adjusted net earnings per common share 32,032 32,595 32,181 32,702 (a)See “Non-GAAP Financial Information” for a reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures.
Financial Results for the Third Quarter of 2026:
The Human Nutrition and Health segment generated record quarterly sales of $188.2 million, an increase of $14.1 million, or 8.1%, compared to the prior year quarter. The increase was driven by higher sales within both the nutrients business and the food ingredients and solutions businesses. Record earnings from operations for this segment of $45.6 million increased $4.8 million, or 11.8%, compared to $40.8 million in the prior year quarter, primarily due to the aforementioned higher sales and favorable mix, partially offset by higher operating expenses. Excluding the effect of non-cash expense associated with amortization of acquired intangible assets and other adjustments, record adjusted earnings from operations(a) for this segment were $48.9 million, compared to $44.1 million in the prior year quarter, an increase of 10.9%.
The Animal Nutrition and Health segment generated quarterly sales of $63.0 million, an increase of $6.6 million, or 11.7%, compared to the prior year quarter. The increase was driven by higher sales in both the monogastric and ruminant species markets. Third quarter earnings from operations for this segment of $6.8 million increased $3.1 million, or 82.8%, compared to $3.7 million in the prior year quarter, primarily due to the aforementioned higher sales and favorable mix, partially offset by certain higher manufacturing input costs. Excluding the effect of non-cash expense associated with amortization of acquired intangible assets and other adjustments, adjusted earnings from operations for this segment were $7.0 million compared to $4.0 million in the prior year quarter, an increase of 73.6%.
The Specialty Products segment generated quarterly sales of $37.3 million, an increase of $1.6 million, or 4.5%, compared to the prior year quarter, due to higher sales in the performance gases business. Earnings from operations for this segment of $12.3 million increased $0.8 million, or 6.6%, compared to $11.5 million in the prior year quarter, primarily driven by the aforementioned higher sales and favorable mix, partially offset by higher operating expenses. Excluding the effect of non-cash expense associated with amortization of acquired intangible assets and other adjustments, adjusted earnings from operations for this segment were $13.1 million, compared to $12.7 million in the prior year quarter, an increase of 3.0%.
Consolidated quarterly gross margin of $105.7 million increased by $10.3 million, or 10.7%, compared to $95.5 million for the prior year comparable period. Gross margin as a percentage of sales was 36.4% compared to 35.7% in the prior year period, an increase of 70 basis points, primarily due to sales growth, favorable mix and manufacturing efficiencies, partially offset by certain higher manufacturing input costs. Operating expenses of $43.3 million for the quarter increased $2.4 million from the prior year comparable quarter, primarily due to higher compensation-related costs, partially offset by the net favorable impact of certain discrete items.
Net interest expense was $1.9 million and $2.6 million in the third quarters of 2026 and 2025, respectively. The decrease in interest expense was primarily due to lower outstanding borrowings and lower interest rates. Our effective tax rates for the three months ended September 30, 2026 and 2025 were 22.2% and 22.6%, respectively. The decrease in the effective tax rate was primarily due to higher favorable adjustments related to the filing of the prior year federal tax return and a higher foreign-derived intangible income deduction benefit, partially offset by an increase in certain state taxes.
Third quarter cash flows provided by operating activities were $69.8 million and free cash flow was $57.9 million. Net working capital of $240.8 million as of September 30, 2026 included a cash balance of $66.3 million. Significant cash payments during the quarter included net debt payments of $28.0 million, income taxes paid of $27.8 million, repurchases of common stock of $27.4 million, and capital expenditures and intangible assets acquired of $12.5 million. Outstanding debt on our revolving loan was $124.0 million as of September 30, 2026 and our net debt (b) was $57.7 million, with an overall leverage ratio (c) on a net debt basis of 0.2 times.
Mr. Harris said, “The Balchem team delivered another strong quarter in Q3 of 2026, and we remain confident in the long-term growth outlook for our company as we continue to execute our strategic growth initiatives.”
(b)Net debt is defined as the outstanding balance on our revolving loan less cash and cash equivalents.(c)Leverage ratio is defined as net debt divided by trailing twelve months adjusted EBITDA.
Quarterly Conference Call
A quarterly conference call will be held on Friday, October 23, 2026, at 11:00 AM Eastern Time (ET) to review third quarter 2026 results. Ted Harris, Chairman, President and CEO and Martin Bengtsson, CFO, will host the call. Institutional investors, analysts and other members of the financial community are invited to join the live call by dialing +1-833-461-5787 (USA/Canada toll free) or +1-585-542-9983 (International Toll), and referencing Meeting ID: 831870284, five minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the conference call. Investors and the public are invited to listen to the live webcast at https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/831870284. The conference call will be available for replay shortly after the conclusion of the call at https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/831870284 for one year.
Segment Information
Balchem Corporation reports three business segments: Human Nutrition and Health, Animal Nutrition and Health, and Specialty Products. The Human Nutrition and Health segment delivers customized food and beverage ingredient systems, as well as key nutrients into a variety of applications across the food, supplement and pharmaceutical industries. The Animal Nutrition and Health segment manufactures and supplies products to numerous animal health markets. Through Specialty Products, Balchem provides specialty-packaged performance gases for use in healthcare and other industries, and also provides chelated minerals to the micronutrient agricultural market. Sales and production of products outside of our reportable segments and other minor business activities are included in "Other and Unallocated".
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which reflect our expectation or belief concerning future events that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "forecast," "outlook," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar expressions generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may relate to such matters as projections of revenue, margins, expenses, tax provisions, earnings, cash flows, benefit obligations, dividends, share repurchases or other financial items; any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations, including those relating to any statements concerning expected development, performance or market share relating to our products and services; any statements regarding future economic conditions or our performance; any statements regarding pending investigations, claims or disputes; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. These statements are based on the Company's currently available information and our current assumptions, expectations and projections about future events. They are subject to future events, risks and uncertainties - many of which are beyond the Company’s control - as well as potentially inaccurate assumptions, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Important factors and other risks that may affect the Company's business or that could cause actual results to differ materially are included in filings the Company makes with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, its Current Reports on Form 8-K, and in its other SEC filings. Reference should be made to such factors and all forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the above cautionary statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact: Jacqueline Yarmolowicz, Balchem Corporation (Telephone: 845-326-5600)
Selected Financial Data (unaudited)
($ in 000’s)
Business Segment Net Sales: Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2026 2025 2026 2025 Human Nutrition and Health $188,227 $174,088 $536,749 $493,318 Animal Nutrition and Health 62,990 56,376 189,633 169,681 Specialty Products 37,294 35,683 112,532 106,143 Other (d) 2,147 1,411 6,450 4,402 Total $290,658 $267,558 $845,364 $773,544 (d) Other consists of a few minor businesses which individually do not meet the quantitative thresholds for separate presentation.
Business Segment Earnings Before Income Taxes: Three Months Ended
September 30, Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2026 2025 2026 2025 Human Nutrition and Health $45,633 $40,831 $128,034 $117,147 Animal Nutrition and Health 6,789 3,713 17,708 12,463 Specialty Products 12,301 11,534 37,129 32,388 Other and Unallocated (e) (2,286) (1,499) (5,587) (4,962)Interest and other expenses (2,393) (2,535) (6,937) (8,041)Total $60,044 $52,044 $170,347 $148,995 (e) Other and Unallocated consists of a few minor businesses which individually do not meet the quantitative thresholds for separate presentation and corporate expenses that have not been allocated to a segment. Unallocated corporate expenses consist of transaction and integration costs of $578 and $1,495 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2026, respectively, and $333 and $1,227 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, respectively. Selected Balance Sheet Items (Dollars in thousands) September 30, 2026
December 31, 2025
(unaudited)
Cash and cash equivalents $66,264 $74,570 Accounts receivable, net 145,635 143,596 Inventories 177,006 131,449 Other current assets 15,972 15,999 Total current assets 404,877 365,614 Property, plant and equipment, net 306,135 306,648 Goodwill 807,487 816,375 Intangible assets with finite lives, net 147,366 163,289 Right of use assets 17,683 16,192 Other assets 20,024 18,134 Total non-current assets 1,298,695 1,320,638 Total assets $1,703,572 $1,686,252 Current liabilities $164,115 $176,384 Revolving loan 124,000 164,000 Deferred income taxes 52,273 54,143 Other long-term obligations 36,407 34,312 Total liabilities 376,795 428,839 Stockholders' equity 1,326,777 1,257,413 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $1,703,572 $1,686,252 Balchem Corporation
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Dollars in thousands)
(unaudited) Nine Months Ended September 30, 2026 2025 Cash flows from operating activities: Net earnings $131,628 $115,620 Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 37,100 33,969 Stock compensation expense 16,316 14,298 Other adjustments 3,037 (1,692)Changes in assets and liabilities (31,537) (12,914)Net cash provided by operating activities 156,544 149,281 Cash flows from investing activities: Capital expenditures and intangible assets acquired (29,605) (27,275)Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired — (323)Proceeds from the sale of assets 7 267 Investment in affiliates (155) (144)Net cash used in investing activities (29,753) (27,475) Cash flows from financing activities: Proceeds from revolving loan 88,000 70,000 Principal payments on revolving loan (128,000) (106,000)Principal payments on finance leases (153) (145)Cash paid for financing costs (1,943) — Proceeds from stock options exercised 11,589 6,867 Dividends paid (30,773) (28,276)Repurchases of common stock (71,925) (54,008)Net cash used in financing activities (133,205) (111,562) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash (1,892) 5,334 (Decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents (8,306) 15,578 Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 74,570 49,515 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $66,264 $65,093
Non-GAAP Financial Information
In addition to disclosing financial results in accordance with United States (U.S.) generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), this earnings release contains non-GAAP financial measures that we believe are helpful in understanding and comparing our past financial performance and our future results. The non-GAAP financial measures in this press release include adjusted gross margin, adjusted earnings from operations, adjusted net earnings and the related adjusted diluted per share amounts, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted income tax expense, free cash flow, net debt, and leverage ratio. The non-GAAP financial measures disclosed by the Company exclude certain business combination accounting adjustments and certain other items related to acquisitions, certain equity compensation, nonqualified deferred compensation plan expense (income), and certain one-time or unusual transactions. Detailed non-GAAP adjustments are described in the reconciliation tables below and also explained in the related footnotes. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP, and the financial results calculated in accordance with GAAP and reconciliations from these results should be carefully evaluated. Investors should not consider non-GAAP measures as alternatives to the related GAAP measures.
Set forth below are reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.
Table 1
(unaudited)
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures to GAAP
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data) Three Months Ended
September 30, Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2026 2025 2026 2025 Reconciliation of adjusted gross margin GAAP gross margin $105,714 $95,453 $310,481 $276,734 Amortization of intangible assets and finance leases (1) 715 739 2,162 2,156 Adjusted gross margin $106,429 $96,192 $312,643 $278,890 Reconciliation of adjusted earnings from operations GAAP earnings from operations $62,437 $54,579 $177,284 $157,036 Amortization of intangible assets and finance leases (1) 4,333 4,394 13,137 12,819 Transaction and integration costs (2) 578 333 1,495 1,227 Nonqualified deferred compensation plan expense (3) (45) 404 572 839 Restructuring costs (4) — — — (192)Adjusted earnings from operations $67,303 $59,710 $192,488 $171,729 Reconciliation of adjusted net earnings GAAP net earnings $46,728 $40,289 $131,628 $115,620 Amortization of intangible assets and finance leases (1) 4,433 4,467 13,381 13,035 Transaction and integration costs (2) 578 333 1,495 1,227 Restructuring costs (4) — — — (192)Income tax adjustment (5) (1,389) (1,107) (5,067) (4,130)Adjusted net earnings $50,350 $43,982 $141,437 $125,560 Adjusted net earnings per common share - diluted $1.57 $1.35 $4.40 $3.84
Table 2
(unaudited)
Reconciliation of GAAP Net Earnings to EBITDA and to Adjusted EBITDA
(Dollars in thousands) Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2026 2025 2026 2025 Net earnings - as reported $46,728 $40,289 $131,628 $115,620 Add back: Provision for income taxes 13,316 11,755 38,719 33,375 Interest and other expenses 2,393 2,535 6,937 8,041 Depreciation and amortization 12,288 11,481 36,855 33,753 EBITDA 74,725 66,060 214,139 190,789 Add back: Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards 5,039 4,650 16,316 14,298 Transaction and integration costs (2) 578 333 1,495 1,227 Nonqualified deferred compensation plan expense (3) (45) 404 572 839 Restructuring costs (4) — — — (192)Adjusted EBITDA $80,297 $71,447 $232,522 $206,961
Table 3
(unaudited)
Reconciliation of GAAP Effective Income Tax Rate to Non-GAAP Effective Income Tax Rate
(Dollars in thousands) Three Months Ended September 30, 2026 Effective Tax Rate 2025 Effective Tax RateGAAP Income Tax Expense $13,316 22.2% $11,755 22.6%Impact of ASU 2016-09 (6) 260 21 Adjusted Income Tax Expense $13,576 22.6% $11,776 22.6% Nine Months Ended September 30, 2026 Effective Tax Rate 2025 Effective Tax RateGAAP Income Tax Expense $38,719 22.7% $33,375 22.4%Impact of ASU 2016-09 (6) 1,550 894 Adjusted Income Tax Expense $40,269 23.6% $34,269 23.0%
Table 4
(unaudited)
Reconciliation of Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities to Free Cash Flow
(Dollars in thousands) Three Months Ended
September 30, Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2026 2025 2026 2025 Net cash provided by operating activities $69,772 $65,572 $156,544 $149,281 Capital expenditures and proceeds from the sale of assets (11,863) (14,891) (28,559) (26,866)Free cash flow $57,909 $50,681 $127,985 $122,415 (1) Amortization of intangible assets and finance leases: Amortization of intangible assets and finance leases consists of amortization of customer relationships, trademarks and trade names, developed technology, regulatory registration costs, patents and trade secrets, capitalized loan issuance costs, other intangibles acquired primarily in connection with business combinations, and finance leases. We record expense relating to the amortization of these intangibles and finance leases in our GAAP financial statements. Amortization expenses for our intangible assets and finance leases are inconsistent in amount and are significantly impacted by the timing and valuation of acquisitions. Consequently, our non-GAAP adjustments exclude these expenses to facilitate an evaluation of our current operating performance and comparisons to our past operating performance. (2) Transaction and integration costs: Transaction and integration costs related to acquisitions and divestitures are expensed in our GAAP financial statements. Management excludes these items for the purposes of calculating adjusted EBITDA and other non-GAAP financial measures. We believe that excluding these items from our non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors because these are items associated with transactions that are inconsistent in amount and frequency causing comparison of current and historical financial results to be difficult. (3) Nonqualified deferred compensation plan (income) expense: Gains and losses on rabbi trust assets related to our nonqualified deferred compensation plan are recorded in other (income) expense while the offsetting increases or decreases to the deferred compensation liability are recorded within earnings from operations. The increases and decreases in the deferred compensation liability are driven by market volatility and are not a true reflection of company performance. We believe excluding these amounts from our non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors because these items are inconsistent in amount based on market conditions causing comparison of current and historical financial results to be difficult. (4) Restructuring costs: Restructuring costs related to a reorganization of the business are recorded in our GAAP financial statements. Management excludes these items for the purposes of calculating adjusted EBITDA and other non-GAAP financial measures. We believe that excluding these items from our non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors because these items are inconsistent in amount and frequency causing comparison of current and historical financial results to be difficult. (5) Income tax adjustment: For purposes of calculating adjusted net earnings and adjusted diluted earnings per share, we adjust the provision for (benefit from) income taxes to tax effect the taxable and deductible non-GAAP adjustments described above as they have a significant impact on our income tax (benefit) provision. Additionally, the income tax adjustment is adjusted for the impact of adopting ASU 2016-09, “Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” and uses our non-GAAP effective rate applied to both our GAAP earnings before income tax expense and non-GAAP adjustments described above. See Table 3 for the calculation of our non-GAAP effective tax rate. (6) Impact of ASU 2016-09: The primary impact of ASU No. 2016-09, "Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting" ("ASU 2016-09"), was the recognition during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2026 and 2025, of excess tax benefits as a reduction to the provision for income taxes and the classification of these excess tax benefits in operating activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows instead of financing activities. Management excludes this item for the purpose of calculating adjusted Income Tax Expense. We believe that excluding the item in our non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors because it is inconsistent in amount and frequency causing comparison of current and historical financial results to be difficult.