Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) Plans Quarterly Dividend of $1.03

Key Points

• Dividend declared: SQM announced a quarterly dividend of $1.0295 per share (ex-dividend and record date Friday, May 8; payable May 26), implying an annualized yield of about 5.0%.
• Dividend coverage and outlook: The company’s payout ratio is very low (~3.4%), and analysts forecast next-year EPS of $3.37, suggesting the dividend is well covered despite a modest average annual decline in payouts over the past three years.
• Stock and valuation snapshot: SQM traded near $82.16 (52-week range $29.36–$86.13) with a market cap of ~$23.5B and a P/E around 40, following a recent quarterly EPS of $0.64 and mixed analyst EPS expectations for the current year.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of 1.0295 per share by the basic materials company on Tuesday, May 26th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 0.3%annually over the last three years. Sociedad Quimica y Minera has a payout ratio of 3.4% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Sociedad Quimica y Minera to earn $3.37 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.12 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 3.6%.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Price Performance

Sociedad Quimica y Minera stock traded down $0.32 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $82.16. 1,049,134 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,437,502. Sociedad Quimica y Minera has a 52-week low of $29.36 and a 52-week high of $86.13. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $75.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.15. 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 cap of $23.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.08 and a beta of 0.95.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Sociedad Quimica y Minera will post -1.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sociedad Quimica y Minera

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 138.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 656 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the 3rd quarter valued at about $49,000. 12.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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