Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM) Stock Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Key Points

• Shares passed above its 200-day moving average, trading as high as $91.56 and last at $91.21 versus a 200‑day average of $69.34, signaling a strong technical breakout.
• Analyst consensus is "Hold" with an average target of $71.42, leaving most analyst targets well below the current share price despite mixed ratings (1 Strong Buy, 5 Buy, 7 Hold, 1 Sell).
• Company pays a sizable dividend — a quarterly payout of $1.0295 (annualized $4.12) for a ~4.5% yield, while market cap is about $26.05B and analysts forecast roughly 6.74 EPS for the fiscal year.

Shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $69.34 and traded as high as $91.56. Sociedad Quimica y Minera shares last traded at $91.2080, with a volume of 1,298,276 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on SQM. Clarkson Capital reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $90.00 target price on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research cut Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Scotiabank upped their price objective on 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. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Sociedad Quimica y Minera to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sociedad Quimica y Minera currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $71.42.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $26.05 billion, a PE ratio of 44.49, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.95. The business has a 50 day moving average of $79.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.34.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, February 14th. The basic materials company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter. Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a return on equity of 9.69% and a net margin of 12.85%. On average, equities analysts expect that Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. will post 6.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $1.0295 per share. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. Sociedad Quimica y Minera's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.85%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sociedad Quimica y Minera

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Castle Hook Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the fourth quarter worth about $69,257,000. RWC Asset Management LLP grew its stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 369.9% during the third quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 1,113,807 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $47,871,000 after acquiring an additional 876,754 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 81.9% during the third quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,911,668 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $82,163,000 after acquiring an additional 860,984 shares during the last quarter. RWC Asset Advisors US LLC grew its stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 112.4% during the third quarter. RWC Asset Advisors US LLC now owns 1,232,662 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $52,980,000 after acquiring an additional 652,257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 62.4% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,676,392 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $72,051,000 after acquiring an additional 644,129 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 12.41% of the company's stock.

About Sociedad Quimica y Minera

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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