Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $50.06.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SQM. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Berenberg Bank started coverage on Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $47.00 to $38.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $62.80 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 26th.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SQM opened at $38.23 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 2.19. The firm has a market cap of $10.92 billion, a PE ratio of 27.50 and a beta of 1.02. Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile has a twelve month low of $32.24 and a twelve month high of $64.62. The business has a fifty day moving average of $37.87 and a 200-day moving average of $43.45.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (NYSE:SQM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The basic materials company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile had a return on equity of 23.15% and a net margin of 0.48%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile will post -0.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SQM. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile during the first quarter worth about $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 396.2% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 913 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 40.1% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 133.8% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 830 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. 12.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile SA produces and distributes specialty plant nutrients, iodine derivatives, lithium derivatives, potassium chloride and sulfate, industrial chemicals, and other products and services. The company offers specialty plant nutrients, including potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, sodium potassium nitrate, specialty blends, and other specialty fertilizers.