Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. $SQM Shares Sold by Prudential PLC

Key Points

• Prudential PLC trimmed its stake in Sociedad Química y Minera (NYSE:SQM) by 9.6%, selling 47,489 shares and leaving it with 448,629 shares valued at about $19.28 million (≈0.16% ownership).
• The company reported quarterly results that missed EPS expectations ($0.64 vs. $0.75) while revenue rose 23.3% to $1.32 billion; SQM is trading near $74.58 with a market cap around $21.3 billion and a P/E of 36.38.
• Analyst sentiment has shifted slightly positive with several upgrades and higher price targets (Deutsche Bank, Scotiabank, Zacks), leaving a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a $70.63 average price target.

Prudential PLC trimmed its position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Free Report) by 9.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 448,629 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 47,489 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC owned approximately 0.16% of Sociedad Quimica y Minera worth $19,282,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SQM. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 5.6% in the second quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 6,354 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,719 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 652 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd lifted its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 7,015 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $302,000 after buying an additional 695 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 7,801 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $275,000 after acquiring an additional 749 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MGO One Seven LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 16,677 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $717,000 after acquiring an additional 754 shares during the last quarter. 12.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $88.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $63.00 price target (up from $45.00) on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sociedad Quimica y Minera presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.63.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera stock opened at $74.58 on Friday. Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. has a 1 year low of $29.36 and a 1 year high of $86.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 2.25 and a current ratio of 3.27. The company has a market capitalization of $21.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.38 and a beta of 0.99. The company's fifty day moving average is $75.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.67.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The basic materials company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.11). Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 9.69%. The business had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.42 earnings per share. Sociedad Quimica y Minera's quarterly revenue was up 23.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. will post -1.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 30th were paid a dividend of $0.1236 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 30th. Sociedad Quimica y Minera's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.85%.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Profile

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile SA NYSE: SQM is a leading global producer of specialty chemicals and minerals headquartered in Santiago, Chile. The company focuses on the extraction and processing of key inputs for the agricultural, industrial and high‐tech sectors. Its core business activities include the mining of lithium, potassium and iodine, as well as the manufacture of value‐added products derived from these raw materials.

SQM's product portfolio spans lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide used in electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems; potassium chloride and potassium nitrate fertilizers designed for precision agriculture; and iodine and its derivatives for pharmaceutical, food and electronics applications.

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