Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM) Shares Sold by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC cut its stake in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM) by 17.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 12,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,736 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile were worth $456,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in SQM. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile during the fourth quarter worth about $120,395,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 28.4% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 804,913 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,267,000 after acquiring an additional 177,898 shares during the period. Peregrine Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,505,000. Moneda S.A. Administradora General de Fondos increased its stake in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 493.7% in the 4th quarter. Moneda S.A. Administradora General de Fondos now owns 119,691 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,352,000 after purchasing an additional 99,532 shares in the last quarter. Finally, North of South Capital LLP raised its holdings in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 19.1% during the fourth quarter. North of South Capital LLP now owns 597,057 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $21,709,000 after purchasing an additional 95,564 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 Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SQM opened at $36.73 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.94, a quick ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $40.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $39.52. Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. has a 52 week low of $32.24 and a 52 week high of $51.90. The stock has a market cap of $10.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -33.09, a PEG ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 0.99.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (NYSE:SQM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.10). Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile had a negative net margin of 6.74% and a positive return on equity of 16.12%. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. will post -1.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile Company Profile

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile SA operates as a mining company worldwide. The company offers specialty plant nutrients, including sodium potassium nitrate, specialty blends, and other specialty fertilizers under Ultrasol, Qrop, Speedfol, Allganic, Ultrasoline, ProP, and Prohydric brands. It also provides iodine and its derivatives for use in medical, agricultural, industrial, and human and animal nutrition products comprising x-ray contrast media, biocides, antiseptics and disinfectants, pharmaceutical intermediates, polarizing films for LCD and LED screens, chemicals, organic compounds, and pigments, as well as added to edible salt to prevent iodine deficiency disorders.