4,048 Shares in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM) Purchased by Rakuten Securities Inc.

Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,048 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $244,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SQM. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. purchased a new position in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile during the second quarter worth about $26,000. National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 153.8% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 825 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile during the first quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Money Concepts Capital Corp purchased a new position in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile during the fourth quarter worth about $52,000. 12.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on SQM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $64.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $52.00 to $48.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 1st. TheStreet lowered shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from a “b-” rating to a “c” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $66.58.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile Price Performance

Shares of SQM stock traded down $1.42 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $45.53. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 827,826 shares, compared to its average volume of 928,069. The business has a fifty day moving average of $46.65 and a 200-day moving average of $49.98. The stock has a market cap of $13.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.46 and a beta of 1.07. Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. has a twelve month low of $38.50 and a twelve month high of $83.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (NYSE:SQM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by ($0.51). Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile had a return on equity of 37.86% and a net margin of 26.95%. The firm had revenue of $1.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.03 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. will post 4.08 EPS for the current year.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile Profile

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.