Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) Short Interest Down 15.0% in January

Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,604,369 shares, a decline of 15.0% from the December 31st total of 1,888,156 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,654,566 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,654,566 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sociedad Quimica y Minera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 118,007 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,162,000 after acquiring an additional 6,087 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the second quarter worth $1,678,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 33.4% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 71,429 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,070,000 after purchasing an additional 17,869 shares during the last quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the third quarter worth about $2,767,000. Finally, RWA Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the second quarter valued at approximately $776,000. Institutional investors own 12.41% of the company’s stock.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Down 6.0%

SQM stock opened at $76.72 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $71.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.92 and a beta of 0.99. Sociedad Quimica y Minera has a 52-week low of $29.36 and a 52-week high of $86.13. 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 (NYSE:SQM) last issued 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). Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a net margin of 12.12% and a return on equity of 9.79%. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.46 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Sociedad Quimica y Minera will post -1.31 EPS for the current year.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Clarkson Capital restated a “neutral” rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 19th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $50.00 price target (down previously from $53.00) on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research note on Friday, October 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $54.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock 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.