Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. Acquires 11,176 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC – Get Rating) by 574.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,122 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 11,176 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Balchem were worth $1,595,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Balchem by 4.6% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,125 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $276,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Balchem by 3.0% in the second quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 3,262 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $423,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of Balchem by 2.6% in the second quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 4,669 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $606,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of Balchem by 0.7% in the second quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 18,485 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,398,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can raised its holdings in shares of Balchem by 0.5% in the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 28,110 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,943,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. 89.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Balchem Stock Performance

NASDAQ BCPC opened at $126.45 on Thursday. Balchem Co. has a 52-week low of $110.15 and a 52-week high of $152.81. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $130.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $130.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 2.59. The company has a market capitalization of $4.06 billion, a PE ratio of 37.75 and a beta of 0.67.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.13). Balchem had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 11.80%. The company had revenue of $244.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $241.00 million. On average, research analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 3.49 EPS for the current year.

Balchem Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 23rd. This is an increase from Balchem’s previous annual dividend of $0.64. Balchem’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on BCPC shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Balchem in a report on Wednesday, October 12th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. HC Wainwright lowered their target price on shares of Balchem from $164.00 to $152.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 7th.

Balchem Company Profile

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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 in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Human Nutrition & Health, Animal Nutrition & Health, and Specialty Products.