Rakuten Securities Inc. Invests $244,000 in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM)

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

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 1.8% in the first quarter. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,123 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $610,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 3.2% in the third quarter. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 5,903 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $352,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. grew its position in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 7.6% in the second quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 2,668 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $223,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,930 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $154,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the period. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 25.3% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,253 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 12.41% of the company’s stock.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile Stock Down 3.0 %

NYSE:SQM traded down $1.42 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $45.53. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 827,826 shares, compared to its average volume of 928,069. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 2.49. The company has a market capitalization of $13.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.46 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $46.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.98. Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. has a 12 month low of $38.50 and a 12 month high of $83.67.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (NYSE:SQM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.71 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $1.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.03 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. will post 4.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on SQM shares. StockNews.com cut Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target 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 note on Friday, March 1st. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 4th. TheStreet downgraded shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from a “b-” rating to a “c” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $52.00 to $48.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $66.58.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile Company 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.