Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) Short Interest Down 10.6% in January

Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 416,700 shares, a decrease of 10.6% from the January 15th total of 465,900 shares. Approximately 1.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 129,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on BCPC shares. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on Balchem from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com raised shares of Balchem from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th.

Balchem Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of BCPC stock traded up $1.68 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $164.82. 131,072 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 114,008. Balchem has a fifty-two week low of $137.69 and a fifty-two week high of $186.03. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $163.46 and its 200-day moving average is $169.53. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market cap of $5.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.31, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Balchem Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This is a positive change from Balchem’s previous annual dividend of $0.79. This represents a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Balchem’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.39%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Balchem

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Gotham Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Balchem during the fourth quarter valued at about $240,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Balchem by 258.2% during the fourth quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 37,767 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,156,000 after buying an additional 27,224 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Balchem by 32.0% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 4,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $766,000 after buying an additional 1,140 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Balchem by 120.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 156,562 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,519,000 after acquiring an additional 85,692 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Balchem by 283.1% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 81,805 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $13,334,000 after acquiring an additional 60,449 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.91% of the company’s stock.

About Balchem

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.