UBS Group AG Has $28.91 Million Stock Holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. $SQM

Key Points

• UBS Group AG increased its stake in SQM by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, adding 27,230 shares to bring its total holding to 420,262 shares valued at about $28.9 million.
• Institutional ownership remains active, with other firms like Vanguard also boosting positions; overall, institutional investors and hedge funds own 12.41% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but cautious, with SQM holding an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $71.42, even as some firms recently raised targets and issued buy ratings.

UBS Group AG lifted its stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Free Report) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 420,262 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 27,230 shares during the period. UBS Group AG's holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera were worth $28,914,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 649,528 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $44,688,000 after purchasing an additional 27,035 shares during the period. Sava Infond d.o.o. raised its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Sava Infond d.o.o. now owns 45,970 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,163,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Journey Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the fourth quarter worth $1,861,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 170,483 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $11,729,000 after purchasing an additional 4,707 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 71.3% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,728 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 719 shares during the period. 12.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SQM. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Clarkson Capital reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $79.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $71.42.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SQM opened at $91.35 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $81.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.36. Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. has a one year low of $29.36 and a one year high of $98.00. The company has a market capitalization of $26.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 1.00.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The basic materials company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter. Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a return on equity of 9.69% and a net margin of 12.85%.The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. will post 7.3 EPS for the current year.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $1.0295 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. Sociedad Quimica y Minera's payout ratio is 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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