Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) Stock Position Lifted by Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC

Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) by 63.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,069 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,642 shares during the quarter. Balchem makes up 1.1% of Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC owned approximately 0.11% of Balchem worth $5,438,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Balchem by 1.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 458,986 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $80,782,000 after acquiring an additional 7,721 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its stake in Balchem by 26.2% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 11,893 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,093,000 after acquiring an additional 2,467 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Balchem by 3.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 928,904 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $163,514,000 after acquiring an additional 27,979 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Balchem by 8.4% in the second quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 233,831 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,998,000 after buying an additional 18,104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Balchem by 22.1% in the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 20,582 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,169,000 after buying an additional 3,732 shares in the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Balchem from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. HC Wainwright increased their target price on Balchem from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th.

Balchem Stock Down 1.8 %

BCPC traded down $2.87 on Friday, reaching $154.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 140,068 shares, compared to its average volume of 132,945. The stock has a market cap of $5.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 0.69. Balchem Co. has a 1 year low of $135.84 and a 1 year high of $186.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.98 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The business's 50 day moving average is $172.77 and its 200 day moving average is $170.52.

Balchem Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 26th. This represents a yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from Balchem's previous annual dividend of $0.79. Balchem's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.39%.

Balchem 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.