Aberdeen Group plc Sells 27,152 Shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. $SQM

Aberdeen Group plc trimmed its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) by 15.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 153,606 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 27,152 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera were worth $10,568,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 18.5% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 198,789 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,898,000 after purchasing an additional 31,066 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 53.8% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 358,646 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,249,000 after buying an additional 125,506 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 20.4% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 20,886 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $737,000 after buying an additional 3,545 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 38.3% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 159,027 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,609,000 after buying an additional 44,062 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 124,575 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,394,000 after purchasing an additional 3,634 shares during the last quarter. 12.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NYSE:SQM opened at $78.43 on Wednesday. Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. has a 52-week low of $29.36 and a 52-week high of $86.13. The stock has a market cap of $22.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.26 and a beta of 0.95. The business’s 50 day moving average is $75.69 and its 200 day moving average is $65.03. The company has a quick ratio of 2.25, a current ratio of 3.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The basic materials company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter. Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a return on equity of 9.69% and a net margin of 12.85%. Sell-side analysts predict that Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. will post -1.31 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on SQM shares. HSBC upgraded shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $88.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Clarkson Capital reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $71.42.

About Sociedad Quimica y Minera

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.