Episode Details

SQM Stock: BUY Call - EPS +167% as Lithium Recovers Q1 2026 SQM (Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile) Q1 2026 Charged Alpha Pipeline X deep dive - the lithium-price recovery. Revenue $1.76B beat by 3.9% and up 69.8% YoY. EPS $1.28 missed the $1.65 Street estimate by 22% but jumped 166.7% YoY from $0.48. Gross margin recovered to 44.2% from 29.4% a year ago; operating margin 41.5%. Lithium volume ~69,000 MT LCE (+25% YoY); realized price recovered from ~$10/kg to ~$18/kg. SQM RAISED FY26 lithium sales-volume growth guidance from 10% to 15%. Figures reported in USD (Chilean ADR). Stock $84.17, 14x forward earnings, below lithium peer ALB; variable dividend $1.02/sh, no buyback. Charts: 1y price, the print, beat decomposition, 8q trend, segments, FCF bridge, margin quality, guidance card, catalyst calendar, peers, valuation triangle, quality card, the call (1/2 + 2/2), lithium volume shipped, margin trajectory, balance sheet, variable dividend track. Not financial advice. Informational only. https://chargedalpha.com