Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC Has $5.44 Million Stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC raised its position in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 63.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,069 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,642 shares during the quarter. Balchem accounts for 1.1% of Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC owned about 0.11% of Balchem worth $5,438,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Balchem during the third quarter valued at $27,000. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Balchem during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Balchem during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Balchem by 73.4% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 841 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $148,000 after purchasing an additional 356 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Stock Performance

Shares of BCPC stock opened at $157.09 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.23, a PEG ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.98 and a quick ratio of 1.90. Balchem Co. has a fifty-two week low of $135.84 and a fifty-two week high of $186.03. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $172.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $170.61.

Balchem Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 26th. This is a positive change from Balchem’s previous annual dividend of $0.79. Balchem’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCPC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. HC Wainwright boosted their price objective on shares of Balchem from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Balchem from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th.

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.