Venturi Wealth Management LLC Invests $95,000 in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $95,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BCPC. Westside Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Balchem during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Balchem in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Balchem during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted 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 valued at $148,000 after purchasing an additional 726 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Balchem by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,113 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $181,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. 87.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Balchem Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BCPC opened at $163.72 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.98 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.01, a P/E/G ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.69. The business’s 50-day moving average is $162.20 and its 200 day moving average is $169.39. Balchem Co. has a 1 year low of $137.69 and a 1 year high of $186.03.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) last announced 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). The company had revenue of $240.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $239.96 million. Balchem had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 10.99%. On average, research analysts predict that Balchem Co. will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Balchem Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This is an increase from Balchem’s previous annual dividend of $0.79. This represents a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Balchem’s payout ratio is presently 22.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BCPC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. HC Wainwright raised their price target on shares of Balchem from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Balchem from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th.

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.