Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 10.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,501 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 2,010 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.05% of Balchem worth $2,690,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Heritage Family Offices LLP grew its position in shares of Balchem by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 1,420 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Balchem by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 2,462 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Balchem during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. SageView Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Balchem by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,653 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $819,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. Finally, Portside Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in Balchem by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,551 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on BCPC shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Sidoti upgraded Balchem to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Balchem in a report on Monday, February 24th.

Balchem Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ BCPC traded down $1.44 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $172.59. The stock had a trading volume of 138,035 shares, compared to its average volume of 131,896. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $162.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.63. The company has a market capitalization of $5.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.92, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.69. Balchem Co. has a 1-year low of $137.69 and a 1-year high of $186.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 21st. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.11 by ($0.08). Balchem had a return on equity of 11.37% and a net margin of 13.47%. The business had revenue of $240.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $239.96 million. On average, analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Balchem Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is a positive change from Balchem's previous annual dividend of $0.79. Balchem's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.14%.

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.