American Century Companies Inc. Buys 4,256 Shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM)

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM) by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 78,795 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,256 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile were worth $3,211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile during the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 396.2% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 913 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 40.1% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile in the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 6,315.8% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,219 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 12.41% of the company’s stock.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile Stock Up 7.3 %

Shares of SQM opened at $41.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.68 and a beta of 1.02. Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. has a 1 year low of $32.24 and a 1 year high of $64.62. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $37.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.94.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (NYSE:SQM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The basic materials company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.24). Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile had a net margin of 0.48% and a return on equity of 23.15%. The business had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.03 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. will post -0.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SQM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $45.00 to $36.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Berenberg Bank began coverage on Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $62.80 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 26th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $47.00 to $38.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.06.

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.