Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) Short Interest Update

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on BCPC. 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 research report on Monday, November 4th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Balchem

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Balchem in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Balchem by 93.8% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 157 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Balchem in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new position in Balchem in the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Balchem in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. 87.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Balchem Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of BCPC stock opened at $164.82 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Balchem has a 1 year low of $137.69 and a 1 year high of $186.03. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $163.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $169.45. 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.

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 given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is a positive change from Balchem’s previous annual dividend of $0.79. Balchem’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.