Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 21.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,050 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 3,086 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.'s holdings in Balchem were worth $1,801,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC increased its stake in Balchem by 63.7% in the 4th quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 35,069 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $5,438,000 after purchasing an additional 13,642 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Balchem by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 458,986 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $80,782,000 after buying an additional 7,721 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in Balchem by 26.2% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 11,893 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,093,000 after buying an additional 2,467 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Balchem by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 928,904 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $163,514,000 after buying an additional 27,979 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Balchem by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 361,970 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $63,707,000 after buying an additional 7,562 shares during the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Balchem Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ BCPC traded up $1.68 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $164.82. 131,072 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 114,008. Balchem Co. has a 52-week low of $137.69 and a 52-week high of $186.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.36 billion, a PE ratio of 44.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 2.98. The business's fifty day moving average price is $163.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $169.45.

Balchem Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.4%. 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. Balchem's payout ratio is presently 23.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BCPC. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on Balchem from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Balchem from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th.

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.