Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. cut its stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Free Report) by 50.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 109,606 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 109,495 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera were worth $4,355,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 3,302,897 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $120,093,000 after purchasing an additional 177,323 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,965,641 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $71,470,000 after purchasing an additional 18,255 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC grew its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,071,339 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $38,954,000 after acquiring an additional 18,748 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the fourth quarter worth $35,832,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 315,578 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $11,474,000 after acquiring an additional 36,160 shares during the period. 12.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on SQM. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price 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. lowered their target price on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $44.00 to $39.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their target price on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Sociedad Quimica y Minera presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $41.14.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Performance

Shares of SQM traded down $1.52 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $37.60. The stock had a trading volume of 1,469,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,106,326. The company has a market cap of $10.74 billion, a PE ratio of 17.82 and a beta of 1.07. Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. has a fifty-two week low of $29.36 and a fifty-two week high of $45.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $34.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $37.04.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.05 billion. Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a return on equity of 11.71% and a net margin of 13.45%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted ($3.04) EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. will post -1.31 earnings per share 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.