180 Shares in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) Acquired by R Squared Ltd

R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 180 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Balchem during the third quarter worth $27,000. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new position in Balchem during the third quarter worth $35,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Balchem during the third quarter worth $35,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Balchem by 642.5% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 839 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $148,000 after buying an additional 726 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Balchem by 73.4% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 841 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 356 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on BCPC shares. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on Balchem from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Balchem from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th.

Balchem Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of BCPC stock opened at $160.89 on Tuesday. Balchem Co. has a 1-year low of $137.69 and a 1-year high of $186.03. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $166.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $170.49. The firm has a market cap of $5.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.25, a PEG ratio of 4.30 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 Increases Dividend

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