Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. $SQM Shares Purchased by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management increased its SQM stake by 35.5% in the third quarter, adding 350,573 shares to own 1.34 million shares valued at approximately $86.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 12.41% of the company.
• SQM reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.31 beating estimates of $2.03 and revenue rising 136.7% year over year to $2.47 billion. The company also paid a special dividend of $1.435 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: SQM has an average “Hold” rating and a consensus price target of $82.56, compared with a share price of $58.46 in the article.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Free Report) by 35.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,337,746 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 350,573 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned approximately 0.47% of Sociedad Quimica y Minera worth $86,780,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 1,483.0% in the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 7,836 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $502,000 after buying an additional 7,341 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the third quarter worth about $46,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 65.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 621 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 10.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,154 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $308,000 after buying an additional 387 shares during the period. Finally, Arlington Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the 2nd quarter worth about $214,000. 12.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Performance

SQM stock opened at $58.46 on Thursday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $70.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $76.07. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $16.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 1.05. Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. has a 1-year low of $41.94 and a 1-year high of $98.00.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 14th. The basic materials company reported $2.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.28. Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a return on equity of 18.20% and a net margin of 20.62%. The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.79 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 136.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. will post 7.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th were issued a dividend of $1.4350 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 8th. Sociedad Quimica y Minera's payout ratio is 34.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $94.00 to $88.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, October 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $105.00 to $98.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Citigroup raised shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $97.00 to $95.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $93.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $82.56.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Company Profile

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile SA NYSE: SQM, commonly known as SQM, is a Chilean chemical and mining company headquartered in Santiago. Founded in 1968, the company develops and produces specialty chemicals and plant nutrients from mineral resources in northern Chile.

SQM is one of the world's major producers of lithium compounds, including lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide, which are used in rechargeable batteries and other industrial applications. The company also produces iodine and iodine derivatives, potassium chloride, potassium sulfate, industrial chemicals, and specialty plant nutrition products.

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