Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) Shares Sold by Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc.

Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 42,073 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 125 shares during the quarter. Balchem comprises 1.7% of Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. owned approximately 0.13% of Balchem worth $6,858,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Balchem during the third quarter worth $27,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Balchem during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Balchem during the third quarter worth $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Balchem during the fourth quarter worth $95,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Balchem by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,113 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $181,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Trading Up 4.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ BCPC opened at $173.59 on Wednesday. Balchem Co. has a twelve month low of $137.69 and a twelve month high of $186.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $162.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $169.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.64 billion, a PE ratio of 44.17, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.69.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last issued 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Balchem Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This is a boost from Balchem’s previous annual dividend of $0.79. This represents a dividend yield of 0.4%. Balchem’s payout ratio is presently 22.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BCPC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Balchem in a research note on Monday.

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.