Barings LLC Has $1.32 Million Stock Position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM)

Barings LLC reduced its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Free Report) by 40.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,175 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 22,978 shares during the period. Barings LLC's holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera were worth $1,318,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Grove Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the first quarter worth about $46,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 728.0% during the first 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 in the last quarter. CX Institutional bought a new stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the first quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI bought a new stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $68,000. 12.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on SQM shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped 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 report on Friday, May 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Sociedad Quimica y Minera currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $42.50.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera stock opened at $35.80 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.11. The stock has a market cap of $10.23 billion, a PE ratio of 16.97 and a beta of 1.03. 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 S.A. has a 12 month low of $29.36 and a 12 month high of $45.89.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.63 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.05 billion. Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a return on equity of 11.71% and a net margin of 13.45%. Sociedad Quimica y Minera's quarterly revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($3.04) earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. will post -1.31 EPS for the current year.

About Sociedad Quimica y Minera

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.

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