Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Sells 2,010 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 10.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,501 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,010 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Balchem were worth $2,690,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Balchem by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,234,226 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $217,224,000 after acquiring an additional 12,006 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Balchem by 3.1% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Balchem by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 779,869 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $137,257,000 after acquiring an additional 12,750 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Balchem by 944.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 497,495 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $87,559,000 after acquiring an additional 449,854 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Balchem by 1.7% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Balchem Trading Up 1.2 %

NASDAQ BCPC opened at $174.03 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $5.66 billion, a PE ratio of 44.28, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Balchem Co. has a 12 month low of $137.69 and a 12 month high of $186.03. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $162.41 and a 200-day moving average of $169.63.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 21st. The basic materials company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.11 by ($0.08). Balchem had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 11.37%. The company had revenue of $240.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.96 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Balchem Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders 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 was Thursday, December 26th. Balchem’s payout ratio is 22.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Sidoti raised Balchem to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Balchem in a report on Monday, February 24th.

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.