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

Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers 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 reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $88.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup lowered shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $51.00 to $74.00 in a report on Friday, December 12th. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Friday, October 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $54.00 price objective on the stock. Zacks Research raised Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Clarkson Capital reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $90.00 price target on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sociedad Quimica y Minera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 138.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 37.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 656 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 153.0% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 969 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the third quarter worth $49,000. 12.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:SQM opened at $75.16 on Tuesday. Sociedad Quimica y Minera has a 1 year low of $29.36 and a 1 year 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. The business’s 50-day moving average is $71.57 and its 200-day moving average is $54.40. The company has a market capitalization of $21.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.07 and a beta of 0.98.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM) last issued its 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 business 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.46 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Sociedad Quimica y Minera will post -1.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 30th were paid a $0.1236 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 30th. Sociedad Quimica y Minera’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.