Proficio Capital Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 144,956 Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 144,956 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $23,628,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC owned 0.45% of Balchem at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Balchem during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Balchem during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Balchem during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Balchem during the 4th quarter worth approximately $95,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Balchem by 18.4% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,113 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.91% of the company's stock.

Balchem Stock Down 0.8 %

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

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 21st. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $239.96 million. Equities research analysts expect that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Balchem Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Investors 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. This represents a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Balchem's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

About Balchem

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.