Vident Advisory LLC Buys 20,533 Shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. $SQM

Key Points

• Vident Advisory LLC increased its stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) by 312% during the first quarter, owning 27,115 shares worth $1,077,000 currently.
• Several other hedge funds also made significant investments in SQM, with total institutional ownership now at 12.41% of the company's stock.
• Sociedad Quimica y Minera reported an EPS of $0.31 for the last quarter, which fell short of the $0.52 analysts expected, while its revenue decreased 19.4% year-over-year.

Vident Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Free Report) by 312.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,115 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 20,533 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera were worth $1,077,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SQM. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 61,700.0% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 618 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 617 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the 1st quarter valued at $46,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 728.0% during the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,242 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,092 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional purchased a new position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the 1st quarter valued at $74,000. 12.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Performance

Sociedad Quimica y Minera stock traded up $1.65 on Friday, reaching $45.91. 1,429,096 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,581,331. The stock has a market cap of $13.11 billion, a PE ratio of 27.49 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 2.92, a quick ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. has a twelve month low of $29.36 and a twelve month high of $47.51. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $40.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.93.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SQM has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $36.50 to $43.50 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Itau BBA Securities initiated coverage on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research note on Thursday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $55.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research raised shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their price objective on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $45.08.

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.