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SQM vs. STLD: Sociedad Química y Minera vs. Steel Dynamics Stock Comparison

How do Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) and Steel Dynamics (STLD) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) and Steel Dynamics (STLD) both fall under the Materials industry group, but SQM is classified in Chemicals while STLD is classified in Metals & Mining.

Steel Dynamics (STLD) trades as ordinary local shares, while Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) and Steel Dynamics (STLD)
Profile ItemSQMSTLD
NameSociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. ADRSteel Dynamics, Inc.
Country/RegionChileUnited States
GICS SectorMaterialsMaterials
GICS Industry GroupMaterialsMaterials
GICS IndustryChemicalsMetals & Mining
GICS Sub-IndustrySpecialty ChemicalsSteel
Market Capitalization16.43 billion USD31.70 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateSeptember 21, 1993November 22, 1996
Security TypeADRCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

SQM
STLD
GSPC
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Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: 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 Steel Dynamics (STLD). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) and Steel Dynamics (STLD). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) and Steel Dynamics (STLD)
MetricSQMSTLD
Total Return (1Y)19.41%52.02%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)7.76%29.83%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)1.46%30.20%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

SQM
STLD
GSPC
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Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: 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 Steel Dynamics (STLD). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) and Steel Dynamics (STLD)
MetricSQMSTLD
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)47.10%36.62%
Beta (5Y)1.101.46
Max Drawdown (5Y)-69.69%-32.20%
Avg. Volume (3M)953.31K1.06M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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SQM and STLD are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) and Steel Dynamics (STLD)
MetricSQMSTLD
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.321.30
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.491.92

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 21.82% and Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 20.81% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

SQM

Materials industry group

21.82%

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

STLD

Materials industry group

20.81%

Max
52.88%
STLD
20.81%
Q3
19.49%
Median
8.76%
Q1
-3.41%
Min
-32.81%
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Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 20.62% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 8.82%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

SQM

Materials industry group

20.62%

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

STLD

Materials industry group

8.82%

Max
38.66%
Q3
15.98%
STLD
8.82%
Median
5.28%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-20.40%
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Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 48.82% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 15.46%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

SQM

Materials industry group

48.82%

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

STLD

Materials industry group

15.46%

Max
66.70%
Q3
28.92%
STLD
15.46%
Median
12.56%
Q1
3.28%
Min
-14.07%
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Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) and Steel Dynamics (STLD)
MetricSQMSTLD
ROE (TTM)21.82%20.81%
ROA (TTM)11.55%9.45%
Net Margin (TTM)20.62%8.82%
Operating Margin (TTM)48.82%15.46%
Gross Margin (TTM)42.17%15.90%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 1.05% and Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 3.63% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at -14.16% and Steel Dynamics (STLD) at -18.80% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) and Steel Dynamics (STLD)
MetricSQMSTLD
Revenue Growth (YoY)1.05%3.63%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-24.68%-6.53%
EPS Growth (YoY)-14.16%-18.80%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-46.80%-27.45%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 2.61 and Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 3.15 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

SQM

Materials industry group

2.61

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

STLD

Materials industry group

3.15

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
STLD
3.15
Median
2.24
Q1
1.45
Min
0.16
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Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 0.61 and Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 0.45 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

SQM

Materials industry group

0.61

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

STLD

Materials industry group

0.45

Max
1.98
Q3
0.89
Median
0.47
STLD
0.45
Q1
0.13
Min
0.00
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Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) and Steel Dynamics (STLD)
MetricSQMSTLD
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.613.15
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.610.45
Net Debt / EBITDA0.321.09

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 2.55% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 0.94% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, SQM the richer one.

SQM

Materials industry group

2.55%

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

STLD

Materials industry group

0.94%

Max
4.52%
Q3
1.85%
STLD
0.94%
Median
0.38%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 21.19% and Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 15.44% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

SQM

Materials industry group

21.19%

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

STLD

Materials industry group

15.44%

Max
83.62%
Q3
41.37%
STLD
15.44%
Median
9.54%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) and Steel Dynamics (STLD)
MetricSQMSTLD
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.55%0.94%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)21.19%15.44%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 11.84 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 16.46 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for SQM, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

SQM

Materials industry group

11.84

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

STLD

Materials industry group

16.46

Max
59.00
Q3
32.93
Median
18.82
STLD
16.46
Q1
11.96
Min
3.93
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Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 2.44 and Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 1.43 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

SQM

Materials industry group

2.44

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

STLD

Materials industry group

1.43

Max
9.62
Q3
4.34
Median
1.87
STLD
1.43
Q1
0.73
Min
0.00
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Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 2.60 and Steel Dynamics (STLD) at 3.23 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

SQM

Materials industry group

2.60

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

STLD

Materials industry group

3.23

Max
6.59
Q3
3.55
STLD
3.23
Median
2.08
Q1
1.26
Min
-0.17
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Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) vs. Steel Dynamics (STLD): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) and Steel Dynamics (STLD)
MetricSQMSTLD
P/E Ratio (TTM)11.8416.46
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.441.43
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.603.23
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)15.94%1.36%