10,796 Shares in Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. $SQM Purchased by Everstar Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Everstar Asset Management LLC has made a new investment of $429,000 in Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE: SQM), acquiring 10,796 shares during the first quarter.
• Several other institutional investors have also boosted their stakes in SQM, with Nuveen LLC leading with an investment of approximately $39.15 million.
• Sociedad Quimica y Minera reported earnings of $0.31 per share for the last quarter, missing estimates, while revenue was down 19.4% year-over-year.

Everstar Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 10,796 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $429,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 53.8% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 358,646 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $14,249,000 after acquiring an additional 125,506 shares during the last quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. raised its position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 37.5% in the 1st quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 13,212 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $525,000 after purchasing an additional 3,600 shares during the period. BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. purchased a new position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the first quarter worth approximately $3,178,000. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 18.5% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 198,789 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $7,898,000 after acquiring an additional 31,066 shares during the period. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 312.0% during the first quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 27,115 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,077,000 after acquiring an additional 20,533 shares during the period. 12.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Up 1.7%

SQM traded up $0.70 during trading on Thursday, hitting $42.55. The stock had a trading volume of 1,820,965 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,282,310. The company has a market capitalization of $12.15 billion, a PE ratio of 25.48 and a beta of 1.07. Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. has a twelve month low of $29.36 and a twelve month high of $47.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.93 and a current ratio of 2.92. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $41.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.01.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SQM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America increased their price target on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $36.50 to $43.50 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of 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. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Itau BBA Securities assumed coverage on Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $55.00 target price on the stock. 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.