Everence Capital Management Inc. Sells 720 Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Everence Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 12.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,840 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 720 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Balchem were worth $789,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of BCPC. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in Balchem by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 21,344 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,286,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Balchem during the second quarter worth about $200,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Balchem by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 43,031 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,625,000 after acquiring an additional 1,788 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in Balchem by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 9,034 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,391,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Balchem during the 2nd quarter valued at about $531,000. Institutional investors own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. HC Wainwright raised their target price 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 Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BCPC opened at $159.08 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.17 billion, a PE ratio of 42.76, a PEG ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $173.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $170.51. Balchem Co. has a twelve month low of $135.84 and a twelve month high of $186.03.

Balchem Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 26th. This is an increase from Balchem’s previous annual dividend of $0.79. Balchem’s dividend payout ratio is 23.39%.

Balchem Company 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.