The Gory Details of Chemical & Mining Co. of Chile's Earnings Miss

Chemical & Mining Co. of Chile (NYSE: SQM ) reported earnings on Nov. 21. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Sep. 30 (Q3), Chemical & Mining Co. of Chile missed estimates on revenues and whiffed on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue expanded and GAAP earnings per share expanded significantly.

Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
Chemical & Mining Co. of Chile notched revenue of $615.3 million. The three analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected to see revenue of $668.3 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 7.1% higher than the prior-year quarter's $574.7 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.63. The three earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.73 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.63 for Q3 were 17% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.54 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 42.6%, 50 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 37.1%, 150 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 26.8%, 190 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $582.0 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.59.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $2.59 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.66.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,441 members out of 1,470 rating the stock outperform, and 29 members rating it underperform. Among 261 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 255 give Chemical & Mining Co. of Chile a green thumbs-up, and six give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Chemical & Mining Co. of Chile is outperform, with an average price target of $63.02.

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Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor of Motley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. The Motley Fool has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend Sociedad Quimica y Minera (ADR). Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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