Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Sells 2,524 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC reduced its position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 278,927 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 2,524 shares during the period. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC owned approximately 0.86% of Balchem worth $45,464,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BCPC. Inspire Investing LLC raised its position in Balchem by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 2,348 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $413,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Balchem by 6.1% in the third quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,674 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP raised its holdings in shares of Balchem by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 1,420 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Balchem during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, SageView Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in Balchem by 3.8% during the third quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,653 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $819,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company's stock.

Balchem Stock Down 0.5 %

BCPC traded down $0.77 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $159.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 111,414 shares, compared to its average volume of 119,704. Balchem Co. has a 1 year low of $137.69 and a 1 year high of $186.03. The stock's 50-day moving average is $163.97 and its 200-day moving average is $169.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.79, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Balchem Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on BCPC shares. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on shares of Balchem from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com raised shares of Balchem from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th.

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.