Amundi Sells 32,308 Shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. $SQM

Amundi lessened its stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Free Report) by 6.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 478,231 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 32,308 shares during the period. Amundi owned approximately 0.17% of Sociedad Quimica y Minera worth $18,847,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 61,700.0% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 618 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Grove Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the 1st quarter worth approximately $46,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 728.0% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,242 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,092 shares during the period. Finally, CX Institutional bought a new stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the 1st quarter worth approximately $74,000. Institutional investors own 12.41% of the company's stock.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Price Performance

Shares of SQM traded up $0.70 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $42.55. 1,820,965 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,282,310. The company has a current ratio of 2.92, a quick ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. has a 52-week low of $29.36 and a 52-week high of $47.51. The company's 50-day moving average price is $41.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.01. The company has a market cap of $12.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.48 and a beta of 1.07.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.21). Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a net margin of 11.29% and a return on equity of 9.09%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.75 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. will post -1.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SQM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $36.50 to $43.50 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Itau BBA Securities initiated coverage on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $55.00 price objective for the company. Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of 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. Zacks Research raised shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $45.08.

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.