BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. Takes Position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. $SQM

Key Points

• BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. opened a new position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE: SQM) in the fourth quarter, buying 283,254 shares valued at about $19.5 million. The stake represents roughly 0.4% of the firm’s portfolio and is its 27th largest holding.
• Institutional interest in SQM remains active, with several other hedge funds also adding or establishing positions, though institutions collectively own only 12.41% of the company. Analyst opinions are mixed, with a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $71.83.
• SQM reported quarterly earnings of $1.28 per share on revenue of $1.76 billion and recently paid a quarterly dividend of $1.0295 per share, equating to an annualized yield of about 4.9%. The stock was trading at $83.53, near its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.

BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. purchased a new stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 283,254 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $19,488,000. Sociedad Quimica y Minera makes up approximately 0.4% of BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 138.4% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 37.0% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 656 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the fourth quarter valued at $58,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the third quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 45.9% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 12.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on SQM. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Bank of America upped their price target on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sociedad Quimica y Minera has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $71.83.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Down 2.7%

NYSE SQM opened at $83.53 on Tuesday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $84.98 and its 200 day moving average is $75.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. has a 12 month low of $29.36 and a 12 month high of $98.00. The stock has a market cap of $23.86 billion, a PE ratio of 29.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.25 and a beta of 0.95.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, May 16th. The basic materials company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter. Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a return on equity of 11.99% and a net margin of 15.38%.The company had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter. Research analysts predict that Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. will post 6.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a dividend of $1.0295 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. Sociedad Quimica y Minera's dividend payout ratio is presently 92.98%.

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.

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