Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the ten brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $49.0714.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Friday, October 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $54.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America upped their price objective on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $36.50 to $43.50 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Itau BBA Securities began coverage on Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $55.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Rothschild Redb raised shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sociedad Quimica y Minera

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SQM. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 61,700.0% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 618 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 617 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the first quarter worth $34,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 153.0% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 969 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 586 shares during the period. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the third quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 728.0% in the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,242 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,092 shares during the period. 12.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of NYSE SQM opened at $63.28 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $18.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.89 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $47.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Sociedad Quimica y Minera has a 52-week low of $29.36 and a 52-week high of $64.60.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 18th. The basic materials company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.06). Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a net margin of 11.29% and a return on equity of 9.09%. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.46 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Sociedad Quimica y Minera will post -1.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Company 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.