Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $69.7917.

SQM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research note on Friday, October 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $54.00 target price on the stock. Clarkson Capital reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $90.00 price objective on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Rothschild Redb raised Sociedad Quimica y Minera to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Citigroup cut Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $51.00 to $74.00 in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, UBS Group set a $79.00 price target on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sociedad Quimica y Minera

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 5.4% in the second quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 118,007 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,162,000 after purchasing an additional 6,087 shares during the period. Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC purchased a new position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,678,000. Boston Common Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,767,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 33.4% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 71,429 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,070,000 after acquiring an additional 17,869 shares during the period. Finally, RWA Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the second quarter worth $776,000. Institutional investors own 12.41% of the company’s stock.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Performance

Shares of SQM stock opened at $75.16 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.88. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $71.57 and a 200-day moving average of $54.40. Sociedad Quimica y Minera has a one year low of $29.36 and a one year high of $86.13. The company has a market cap of $21.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.07 and a beta of 0.98.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 18th. The basic materials company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a return on equity of 9.79% and a net margin of 12.12%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.46 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Sociedad Quimica y Minera will post -1.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 30th were given a dividend of $0.1236 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 30th. Sociedad Quimica y Minera’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.56%.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Company Profile

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile SA (NYSE: SQM) is a leading global producer of specialty chemicals and minerals headquartered in Santiago, Chile. The company focuses on the extraction and processing of key inputs for the agricultural, industrial and high‐tech sectors. Its core business activities include the mining of lithium, potassium and iodine, as well as the manufacture of value‐added products derived from these raw materials.

SQM’s product portfolio spans lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide used in electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems; potassium chloride and potassium nitrate fertilizers designed for precision agriculture; and iodine and its derivatives for pharmaceutical, food and electronics applications.