Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Boosts Holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. $SQM

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) by 10,523.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 308,603 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 305,698 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera were worth $21,232,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SQM. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 138.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 656 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the 3rd quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the 3rd quarter valued at about $62,000. 12.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SQM opened at $80.48 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $22.99 billion, a PE ratio of 39.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 1.00. Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. has a 12 month low of $29.36 and a 12 month high of $98.00. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $73.83.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The basic materials company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter. Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 9.69%. On average, analysts anticipate that Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a $1.0295 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.1%. Sociedad Quimica y Minera’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 130.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SQM has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $79.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Clarkson Capital reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $90.00 price target on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sociedad Quimica y Minera has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $71.42.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera 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.