Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,269 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 254 shares during the quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Balchem were worth $1,348,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCPC. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Balchem by 1.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,234,226 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $217,224,000 after purchasing an additional 12,006 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted 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 valued at $163,514,000 after buying an additional 27,979 shares in the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Balchem by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 819,746 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $133,615,000 after buying an additional 39,877 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in Balchem by 944.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 497,495 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $87,559,000 after buying an additional 449,854 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Balchem by 1.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 458,986 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $80,782,000 after acquiring an additional 7,721 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Balchem Stock Down 0.3 %

BCPC opened at $175.69 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.72 billion, a PE ratio of 44.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.69. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $162.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $169.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Balchem Co. has a 52 week low of $137.69 and a 52 week high of $186.03.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 21st. The basic materials company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $240.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.96 million. Balchem had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 11.37%. Analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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 $0.87 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This is a boost from Balchem’s previous annual dividend of $0.79. Balchem’s payout ratio is currently 22.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Balchem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Balchem in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Sidoti upgraded shares of Balchem to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

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.