Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) Stock Analysis

November 11, 2026

This is a peer-relative look at Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM): its performance, risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividend, and valuation are each measured against its Materials peers, so every number reads in context rather than in isolation.

Company Profile

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) trades as an ADR rather than ordinary local shares — read it with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile fields for Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM)
Profile Item	SQM
Name	Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. ADR
Country/Region	Chile
GICS Sector	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals
GICS Sub-Industry	Specialty Chemicals
Market Capitalization	16.43 billion USD
Currency	USD
Exchange	NYSE
Listing Date	September 21, 1993
Security Type	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

SQM

GSPC

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) vs. S&P 500 (GSPC): Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) and S&P 500 (GSPC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) and S&P 500 (GSPC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: SQM	Industry group median
Total Return (1Y)	19.41%	19.59%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	7.76%	18.91%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	1.46%	5.70%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

SQM

GSPC

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) vs. S&P 500 (GSPC): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) and S&P 500 (GSPC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: SQM	Industry group median
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	47.10%	52.82%
Beta (5Y)	1.10	0.97
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-69.69%	-58.44%

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Each dot is a stock plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. SQM is highlighted; the dashed line is the Capital Allocation Line from the risk-free rate through the industry median — dots above it are stronger on a risk-adjusted basis.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: SQM	Industry group median
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.32	0.32
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.49	0.47

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) posts ROE of 21.82%, in the upper peer quartile. That suggests the company earns more from each dollar of shareholders’ equity than most industry peers, a useful capital-efficiency signal.

SQM

Materials industry group

21.82%

Group distribution

Max: 52.88%
SQM: 21.82%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Largest peers

SCCO: 52.88%
NEM: 27.26%
BHP: 24.00%
AEM: 23.24%
SQM: 21.82%
RIO: 19.31%
LIN: 17.72%

Where Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) stands on ROE within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Net Margin (TTM)

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) keeps 20.62% of revenue as net profit, putting net margin in the upper peer quartile. After operating costs, interest, and taxes, more of each sales dollar reaches shareholders than it does at most industry peers.

SQM

Materials industry group

20.62%

Group distribution

Max: 38.66%
SQM: 20.62%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Largest peers

AEM: 41.01%
SCCO: 37.16%
NEM: 34.73%
SQM: 20.62%
RIO: 19.59%
LIN: 19.34%
BHP: 16.73%

Where Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) stands on net margin within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) turns 48.82% of revenue into operating profit, putting operating margin in the upper peer quartile. Before financing and taxes enter the picture, the day-to-day business keeps more of each sales dollar than most industry peers.

SQM

Materials industry group

48.82%

Group distribution

Max: 66.70%
SQM: 48.82%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Largest peers

SCCO: 59.94%
AEM: 55.49%
NEM: 49.99%
SQM: 48.82%
BHP: 43.34%
RIO: 28.05%
LIN: 27.97%

Where Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) stands on operating margin within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Profitability Metrics

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: SQM	Industry group median
ROE (TTM)	21.82%	8.76%
ROA (TTM)	11.55%	4.42%
Net Margin (TTM)	20.62%	5.28%
Operating Margin (TTM)	48.82%	12.56%
Gross Margin (TTM)	42.17%	27.57%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) grew revenue 1.05%, roughly around the peer group's normal range. Top-line momentum looks broadly typical for the industry.

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM): Revenue Growth across different time periods, set against Materials industry-group medians.

EPS Growth

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) grew earnings per share -14.16%, roughly around the peer group's normal range. Bottom-line momentum looks broadly typical for the industry.

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM): EPS Growth across different time periods, set against Materials industry-group medians.

Growth Metrics

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: SQM	Industry group median
Revenue Growth (YoY)	1.05%	8.36%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-24.68%	0.59%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-14.16%	-1.73%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-46.80%	2.12%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) has current ratio of 2.61, in the healthier middle range for its industry. The short-term asset cushion looks balanced relative to peers rather than stretched thin.

SQM

Materials industry group

2.61

Group distribution

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
SQM: 2.61
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

Largest peers

SCCO: 4.31
AEM: 2.75
SQM: 2.61
NEM: 2.45
BHP: 1.89
RIO: 1.42
LIN: 0.86

Where Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) stands on current ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) has debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, roughly in line with the peer group’s normal leverage range. Its mix of debt and equity looks typical for the industry.

SQM

Materials industry group

0.61

Group distribution

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
SQM: 0.61
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Largest peers

LIN: 0.65
SCCO: 0.63
SQM: 0.61
BHP: 0.50
RIO: 0.32
NEM: 0.16
AEM: 0.01

Where Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) stands on debt-to-equity ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Financial Strength Metrics

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: SQM	Industry group median
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.61	2.24
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.61	0.47
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.32	1.37

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) has dividend yield of 2.55%, in the upper peer-yield quartile while still inside the industry range. The dividend offers more cash income per dollar of share price than most peers, though payout coverage still matters.

SQM

Materials industry group

2.55%

Group distribution

Max: 4.52%
SQM: 2.55%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Largest peers

RIO: 5.59%
SQM: 2.55%
SCCO: 2.30%
BHP: 2.19%
LIN: 1.21%
AEM: 0.93%
NEM: 0.87%

Where Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) stands on dividend yield within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) has payout ratio of 21.19%, within the industry’s typical payout band. The dividend shares profits with investors while leaving earnings coverage that looks normal for the peer group.

SQM

Materials industry group

21.19%

Group distribution

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
SQM: 21.19%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Largest peers

BHP: 68.84%
RIO: 54.46%
SCCO: 52.43%
LIN: 41.83%
SQM: 21.19%
AEM: 14.26%
NEM: 11.95%

Where Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) stands on payout ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Dividend Metrics

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: SQM	Industry group median
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.55%	0.38%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	21.19%	9.54%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) trades at P/E ratio of 11.84, in the cheaper earnings-multiple quartile for its industry. Investors are paying less for each dollar of TTM earnings than they usually pay for comparable businesses.

SQM

Materials industry group

11.84

Group distribution

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
SQM: 11.84
Min: 3.93

Largest peers

LIN: 34.21
SCCO: 22.27
BHP: 20.70
AEM: 15.61
NEM: 14.03
SQM: 11.84
RIO: 11.35

Where Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) stands on P/E ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) trades at 2.44 on P/S ratio, roughly in the peer group’s normal range. The market is not making a strong cheap-or-rich statement about its revenue base.

SQM

Materials industry group

2.44

Group distribution

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
SQM: 2.44
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Largest peers

SCCO: 8.34
LIN: 6.53
AEM: 6.44
NEM: 4.72
BHP: 3.46
SQM: 2.44
RIO: 2.20

Where Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) stands on P/S ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) trades at 2.60 on P/B ratio, roughly in line with the industry’s normal price-to-book range. Its balance sheet is not being priced at a clear discount or premium versus peers.

SQM

Materials industry group

2.60

Group distribution

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
SQM: 2.60
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Largest peers

SCCO: 10.89
LIN: 6.00
BHP: 3.98
NEM: 3.53
AEM: 3.27
SQM: 2.60
RIO: 2.08

Where Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) stands on P/B ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Valuation Metrics

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: SQM	Industry group median
P/E Ratio (TTM)	11.84	18.82
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.44	1.87
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.60	2.08
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	15.94%	3.08%