Alps Advisors Inc. Acquires 12,038 Shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. $SQM

Alps Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) by 31.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 50,552 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,038 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera were worth $2,173,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SQM. State of Wyoming lifted its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 96.1% during the third quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 2,061 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 1,010 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 57.2% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $133,000 after acquiring an additional 1,096 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 2,093.3% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,926 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $138,000 after purchasing an additional 3,747 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the 2nd quarter valued at $146,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the 2nd quarter valued at $158,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 12.41% of the company’s stock.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of SQM opened at $70.34 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.88. Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. has a 1 year low of $29.36 and a 1 year high of $86.13. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $55.78.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 18th. The basic materials company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a net margin of 12.12% and a return on equity of 9.79%. The business’s revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. will post -1.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on SQM shares. Clarkson Capital restated a “neutral” rating and set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research raised Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $63.00 price objective (up previously from $45.00) on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $79.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.79.

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.