38,867 Shares in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM) Acquired by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 38,867 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,413,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SQM. White Knight Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 86.5% in the 4th quarter. White Knight Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 34,244 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,245,000 after acquiring an additional 15,879 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile in the fourth quarter worth approximately $7,314,000. Vident Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile during the fourth quarter worth $239,000. Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new stake in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile during the fourth quarter worth $843,000. Finally, Man Group plc raised its position in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 64.0% in the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 8,200 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $298,000 after purchasing an additional 3,200 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 12.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SQM. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $55.00 to $45.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $41.86.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of SQM stock traded up $0.22 on Thursday, hitting $32.24. The stock had a trading volume of 703,251 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,074,769. The company's 50 day moving average price is $34.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.73. Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. has a 1 year low of $29.36 and a 1 year high of $47.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 2.94 and a quick ratio of 2.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -29.05, a P/E/G ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 1.04.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.63 by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.05 billion. Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile had a negative net margin of 6.74% and a positive return on equity of 16.12%. The business's revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($3.04) earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. will post -1.31 earnings per share for the current year.

About Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile

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.