Paradiem LLC Sells 7,434 Shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM)

Paradiem LLC reduced its position in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM) by 48.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,021 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 7,434 shares during the period. Paradiem LLC’s holdings in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile were worth $483,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 22.2% during the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 4,123 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares during the last quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 9,293 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $564,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. LRT Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile in the 4th quarter valued at $237,000. Moneda S.A. Administradora General de Fondos raised its holdings in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 78.5% in the 4th quarter. Moneda S.A. Administradora General de Fondos now owns 245,321 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $14,773,000 after acquiring an additional 107,875 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WP Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile in the 4th quarter valued at $229,000. 12.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $54.50 to $46.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. TheStreet cut Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from a “b-” rating to a “c” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $64.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.18.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile Price Performance

SQM stock traded up $0.63 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $44.14. 859,334 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,079,528. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.61 billion, a PE ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 1.07. Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. has a 52 week low of $38.50 and a 52 week high of $81.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.74. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $47.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.44.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (NYSE:SQM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by ($0.51). Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile had a net margin of 26.95% and a return on equity of 37.86%. The company had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.03 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal 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.