Liontrust Investment Partners LLP Has $5.28 Million Position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. $SQM

Key Points

• Liontrust Investment Partners LLP increased its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. by 6.7%, acquiring an additional 8,347 shares and bringing their total ownership to 132,774 shares valued at approximately $5.27 million.
• Various institutional investors have also recently invested in Sociedad Quimica y Minera, with Nuveen LLC committing around $39.15 million and RWC Asset Management LLP investing about $10.21 million during the same quarter.
• Sociedad Quimica y Minera's recent quarterly earnings report showed earnings per share of $0.48, falling short of expectations of $0.63, with a revenue of $1.04 billion, which was slightly below the forecast.

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP lifted its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Free Report) by 6.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 132,774 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 8,347 shares during the quarter. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP's holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera were worth $5,275,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 9,315 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $370,000 after purchasing an additional 526 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 79,047 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,874,000 after buying an additional 821 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,206 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 1,023 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 55.9% in the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 2,915 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 1,045 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 12.41% of the company's stock.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Down 1.6%

SQM traded down $0.7040 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $44.3460. The company had a trading volume of 1,752,618 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,750,980. The company has a market cap of $12.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.02 and a beta of 1.03. Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. has a 12 month low of $29.36 and a 12 month high of $47.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 1.96. The business's fifty day moving average price is $38.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.38.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a return on equity of 11.71% and a net margin of 13.45%.The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.75 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. will post -1.31 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank cut their price target on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 30th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $55.00 to $45.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sociedad Quimica y Minera presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $42.50.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Company 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.