When Should You Buy Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM)?

Today we're going to take a look at the well-established Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM). The company's stock received a lot of attention from a substantial price increase on the NYSE over the last few months. With many analysts covering the large-cap stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stock’s share price. However, could the stock still be trading at a relatively cheap price? Let’s take a look at Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.

View our latest analysis for Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile

What Is Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile Worth?

According to my price multiple model, which makes a comparison between the company's price-to-earnings ratio and the industry average, the stock price seems to be justfied. In this instance, I’ve used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock’s cash flows. I find that Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile’s ratio of 20.18x is trading slightly above its industry peers’ ratio of 15.59x, which means if you buy Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile today, you’d be paying a relatively sensible price for it. And if you believe that Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile should be trading at this level in the long run, then there should only be a fairly immaterial downside vs other industry peers. Furthermore, it seems like Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile’s share price is quite stable, which means there may be less chances to buy low in the future now that it’s priced similarly to industry peers. This is because the stock is less volatile than the wider market given its low beta.

Can we expect growth from Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile?

Future outlook is an important aspect when you’re looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Although value investors would argue that it’s the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile's earnings over the next few years are expected to double, indicating a very optimistic future ahead. This should lead to stronger cash flows, feeding into a higher share value.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in SQM’s positive outlook, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the track record of its management team. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at SQM? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below the industry PE ratio?

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on SQM, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the optimistic forecast is encouraging for SQM, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

If you want to dive deeper into Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (1 doesn't sit too well with us) you should be familiar with.

If you are no longer interested in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.