Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) Short Interest Down 13.2% in January

Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) was the target of a large drop in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,392,213 shares, a drop of 13.2% from the January 15th total of 1,604,369 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,619,734 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,619,734 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.9 days.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera stock traded up $0.66 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $71.57. 196,973 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,627,977. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.90 and a beta of 0.99. Sociedad Quimica y Minera has a twelve month low of $29.36 and a twelve month high of $86.13. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $56.73.

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

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 30th were issued a dividend of $0.1236 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 30th. Sociedad Quimica y Minera’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on SQM shares. UBS Group set a $79.00 price target on Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Clarkson Capital restated a “neutral” rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $79.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.79.

Institutional Trading of Sociedad Quimica y Minera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 118,007 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,162,000 after purchasing an additional 6,087 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the second quarter worth $1,678,000. Boston Common Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the third quarter valued at $2,767,000. RWA Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the second quarter worth about $776,000. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 33.4% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 71,429 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,070,000 after acquiring an additional 17,869 shares during the period. 12.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Sociedad Quimica y Minera

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.