Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile

SQM

Market cap $12.5B

I maintain my buy rating on Sociedad Quimica Y Minera De Chile, emphasizing its financial resilience and strategic position despite ongoing lithium market pressures and margin compression. Sociedad Quimica Y Minera De Chile's valuation is fair—not undervalued, but not overpriced—supported by superior profitability metrics and operational efficiency versus peers. Short-term risks include weak lithium prices, regulatory uncertainty in Chile, and increased global competition, making 2025 a transitional year.

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM ) Q2 2025 Earnings Conference Call August 20, 2025 12:00 PM ET Company Participants Carlos Diaz Ortiz - Chief Executive Officer of the SQM Lithium Chile Division Felipe Smith - Commercial Manager of Iodine Lithium & Industrial Chemicals Gerardo Illanes G.

SANTIAGO, Chile, Aug. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (SQM) (NYSE: SQM; Santiago Stock Exchange: SQM-B, SQM-A) reported today net income for the six months ended June 30, 2025, of US$226.0 million or US$0.79 per share, compared to a loss1 of US$(655.9) million or US$(2.30) per share reported for the same period last year.

Lithium is poised to become a red-hot commodity in the basic materials sector, driven by a couple of key macro tailwinds. First and foremost, the new data center buildout across the United States will require a decent amount of lithium to be used in the supercomputers that will train tomorrow's leading artificial intelligence models.

Shares of North American lithium producers surged on Monday after news that a major Chinese lithium mine would halt operations, a move investors believe could ease a global supply glut and support a rebound in prices for the battery metal.

Shares of Albemarle (ALB) and other lithium producers took off on reports big Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., or CATL, said it was suspending production at one of the largest mines in the world.

China continues to dominate trading headlines, this time with Chinese lithium producers halting production of the metal. As Sam Vadas notes, it still chiseled out rallies for stocks tied to lithium production.

In the world of electric vehicles and clean energy, lithium is the new oil. The metal powering batteries that run everything from smartphones to Tesla's Model 3 is suddenly back in the spotlight.

The supply of metal used for electric vehicles and computer batteries has been growing, but stocks of lithium companies are rallying as another mine shuts down.

Compelling data from high-cost producers in China and Australia indicate that supply-side capitulation is underway, forming a classic bottoming signal for lithium prices. SQM recently finalized a landmark partnership with state-owned Codelco, eliminating the company's greatest long-term risk and extending its operational runway in Salar de Atacama. Despite this fundamental de-risking, I believe the market is still mispricing SQM, failing to account for its transformation from a high-risk asset into a blue-chip lithium leader.