Analysts Set Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) Target Price at $53.39

Shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $59.75.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $50.00 target price (down from $53.00) on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research note on Monday, October 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $63.00 price objective (up from $45.00) on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a report on Friday, October 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $54.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $41.00 to $79.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $51.00 to $74.00 in a research note on Friday, December 12th.

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. AIA Group Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the third quarter valued at $1,633,000. Private Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the third quarter worth approximately $1,649,000. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the third quarter worth approximately $559,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the third quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Finally, Fulcrum Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 12.41% of the company’s stock.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Performance

Shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera stock opened at $68.79 on Monday. Sociedad Quimica y Minera has a 1 year low of $29.36 and a 1 year high of $69.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.82. The firm has a market cap of $19.65 billion, a PE ratio of 37.59 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $55.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.23.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 18th. The basic materials company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.14 billion. Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a net margin of 12.12% and a return on equity of 9.79%. The business’s revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.46 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Sociedad Quimica y Minera will post -1.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Company Profile

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.