Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Sells 1,752 Shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lowered its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) by 9.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 16,897 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,752 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera were worth $671,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SQM. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 4,119 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $150,000 after buying an additional 415 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,953 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 453 shares during the period. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. grew its stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 9,612 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 79,047 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,874,000 after acquiring an additional 821 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 13,649 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $496,000 after purchasing an additional 923 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 12.41% of the company’s stock.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Performance

Shares of SQM stock opened at $35.93 on Tuesday. Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. has a 12 month low of $29.36 and a 12 month high of $45.89. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $33.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.01. The firm has a market cap of $10.26 billion, a PE ratio of 17.03 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by ($0.15). Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a net margin of 13.45% and a return on equity of 11.71%. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.05 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted ($3.04) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. will post -1.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on SQM. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $44.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $55.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.14.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Profile

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile SA operates as a mining company worldwide. The company offers specialty plant nutrients, including sodium potassium nitrate, specialty blends, and other specialty fertilizers under Ultrasol, Qrop, Speedfol, Allganic, Ultrasoline, ProP, and Prohydric brands. It also provides iodine and its derivatives for use in medical, agricultural, industrial, and human and animal nutrition products comprising x-ray contrast media, biocides, antiseptics and disinfectants, pharmaceutical intermediates, polarizing films for LCD and LED screens, chemicals, organic compounds, and pigments, as well as added to edible salt to prevent iodine deficiency disorders.