KBC Group NV Raises Holdings in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM)

KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM - Free Report) by 76.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 114,992 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 50,000 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile were worth $4,181,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SQM. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 2.9% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 488,456 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $19,921,000 after purchasing an additional 13,756 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 8,744 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $356,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 25.1% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 22,371 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $912,000 after acquiring an additional 4,491 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 11.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,249 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 544 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile by 5.7% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 11,020 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $449,000 after purchasing an additional 591 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 12.41% of the company's stock.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile Stock Performance

SQM stock traded down $0.63 during trading on Monday, hitting $38.91. The company had a trading volume of 875,216 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,053,286. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $38.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.52. The company has a quick ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 2.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market cap of $11.11 billion, a PE ratio of -35.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.34 and a beta of 1.04. Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. has a 1-year low of $32.24 and a 1-year high of $51.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SQM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $35.00 to $31.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Scotiabank cut their price target on shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from $60.00 to $50.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $55.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $45.56.

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.