Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) Shares Acquired by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 164,915 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 5,639 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.51% of Balchem worth $26,880,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of BCPC. Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Balchem in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Balchem during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Balchem during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Balchem by 642.5% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 839 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 726 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in Balchem by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,113 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $181,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Balchem in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday.

Balchem Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BCPC traded down $148.71 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $24.89. The company had a trading volume of 47,953 shares, compared to its average volume of 127,928. Balchem Co. has a twelve month low of $137.69 and a twelve month high of $186.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.99 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market cap of $809.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.69. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $162.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $169.44.

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

Balchem Increases Dividend

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