Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" for Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE: SQM), with one sell recommendation, three holds, and three buys among the seven ratings firms covering the stock.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings report showed an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.31, missing analysts' estimates of $0.52, while revenue declined by 19.4% year-over-year.
• Shares of SQM experienced an increase of 3.7% recently, with its stock trading at approximately $45.91 and a 1-year price range of $29.36 to $47.51.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $45.0833.

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Scotiabank reduced their target price on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Itau BBA Securities started coverage on Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $55.00 target price for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of SQM traded up $0.58 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $42.05. The company had a trading volume of 474,913 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,275,244. The company has a current ratio of 2.92, a quick ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market capitalization of $12.01 billion, a PE ratio of 25.14 and a beta of 1.06. Sociedad Quimica y Minera has a one year low of $29.36 and a one year high of $47.51. The company's fifty day moving average price is $41.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.98.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.21). The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.08 billion. Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a net margin of 11.29% and a return on equity of 9.09%. Sociedad Quimica y Minera's revenue for the quarter was down 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.75 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Sociedad Quimica y Minera will post -1.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sociedad Quimica y Minera

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SQM. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 45,602 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,608,000 after acquiring an additional 1,294 shares during the period. Marex Group plc purchased a new stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $410,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 26.2% during the 2nd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 74,469 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,625,000 after buying an additional 15,447 shares during the period. Man Group plc raised its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter. Man Group plc now owns 8,800 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 2,600 shares during the period. Finally, LMR Partners LLP purchased a new stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,622,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 12.41% of the company's stock.

About Sociedad Quimica y Minera

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.