Blue Trust Inc. Sells 661 Shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM)

Blue Trust Inc. cut its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM) by 17.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,208 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 661 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera were worth $127,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SQM. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 31.7% during the first quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,908 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $354,000 after acquiring an additional 2,143 shares in the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the 1st quarter valued at about $46,000. CX Institutional bought a new stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the 1st quarter valued at about $74,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera during the 1st quarter valued at about $201,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 4,834.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 15,296 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $608,000 after purchasing an additional 14,986 shares in the last quarter. 12.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:SQM opened at $34.27 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $33.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.17. The stock has a market cap of $9.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.24 and a beta of 1.04. Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. has a fifty-two week low of $29.36 and a fifty-two week high of $45.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.63 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.05 billion. Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a net margin of 13.45% and a return on equity of 11.71%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($3.04) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. will post -1.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SQM has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $55.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $44.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sociedad Quimica y Minera presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $41.14.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera 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.