JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 458,986 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,721 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 1.41% of Balchem worth $80,782,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Balchem during the third quarter valued at $27,000. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Balchem in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Balchem during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Balchem by 73.4% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 841 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 356 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Balchem by 642.5% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 839 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $148,000 after acquiring an additional 726 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company's stock.

Balchem Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Balchem stock traded up $0.50 during trading on Friday, reaching $159.08. 88,115 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 129,007. Balchem Co. has a 1 year low of $135.84 and a 1 year high of $186.03. The firm has a market cap of $5.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock's fifty day moving average is $173.77 and its 200 day moving average is $170.38.

Balchem Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 26th. This is a boost from Balchem's previous annual dividend of $0.79. This represents a yield of 0.4%. Balchem's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on BCPC. HC Wainwright lifted their price objective on shares of Balchem from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com raised shares of Balchem from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th.

Balchem 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.