Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give SQM a consensus rating of Hold from 14 analysts (1 sell, 7 hold, 5 buy, 1 strong buy), with an average 12‑month price target of $71.42.
• Shares opened at $88.89 and were recently down 6.7%; the stock trades in a 52‑week range of $29.36–$95.46, has a market cap of $25.39 billion and a P/E of 43.36.
• SQM announced a quarterly dividend of $1.0295 per share (annualized $4.12) for a yield of 4.6% (ex‑dividend May 8, payable May 26), while analysts forecast -1.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Hold" from the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $71.4167.

Several brokerages recently commented on SQM. HSBC upgraded shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $88.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Down 6.7%

Shares of NYSE SQM opened at $88.89 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.25, a current ratio of 3.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Sociedad Quimica y Minera has a 52 week low of $29.36 and a 52 week high of $95.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $77.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.95.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, February 14th. The basic materials company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter. Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 9.69%. The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sociedad Quimica y Minera will post -1.31 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $1.0295 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.6%. Sociedad Quimica y Minera's payout ratio is presently 5.85%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sociedad Quimica y Minera

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SQM. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 138.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the third quarter worth about $43,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 37.0% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 656 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the third quarter worth about $49,000. 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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