Vista Finance LLC Buys New Shares in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Vista Finance LLC purchased a new position in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 1,259 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $205,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Congress Asset Management Co. raised its stake in Balchem by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 317,610 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $51,769,000 after purchasing an additional 16,170 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Balchem by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 67,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,980,000 after buying an additional 3,110 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 92,796 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $15,125,000 after buying an additional 1,822 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Balchem during the fourth quarter worth $689,000. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Balchem during the fourth quarter valued at $503,000. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Balchem Price Performance

BCPC stock opened at $164.82 on Friday. Balchem Co. has a 52 week low of $137.69 and a 52 week high of $186.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $163.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $169.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Balchem Increases Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a yield of 0.4%. This is a positive change from Balchem’s previous annual dividend of $0.79. Balchem’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.