Vontobel Holding Ltd. Trims Stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. trimmed its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Free Report) by 55.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,259 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 22,330 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera were worth $725,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 4,119 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $150,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 18.1% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,953 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 453 shares during the period. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. lifted its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 9,612 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 79,047 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,874,000 after purchasing an additional 821 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 13,649 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $496,000 after purchasing an additional 923 shares during the period. 12.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Price Performance

NYSE SQM traded up $0.76 during trading on Thursday, reaching $39.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,108,460 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,103,079. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $33.98 and a 200 day moving average of $37.02. Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. has a one year low of $29.36 and a one year high of $45.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.20 billion, a PE ratio of 18.58 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 1.96.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.05 billion. Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a return on equity of 11.71% and a net margin of 13.45%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($3.04) earnings per share. Analysts expect that Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. will post -1.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on SQM. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $55.00 to $45.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $44.00 to $39.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Two equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sociedad Quimica y Minera currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $41.14.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera 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.