Chile’s SQM posts 63% profit slump, expects weak lithium prices in near term

(Adds details in paragraphs 9,10 and details about legal dispute in paragraphs 12-16)

SANTIAGO, Aug 21 (Reuters) – Chile’s SQM, the world’s second-largest lithium producer, reported a bigger-than-expected 63.2% slide in its quarterly profit on Wednesday due to weak prices of the battery metal, which it expects will continue for the rest of the year.

The miner, which also produces fertilizers and industrial chemicals, posted a second-quarter net profit of $213.6 million, or 75 cents a share, missing analysts’ estimates of $296.7 million, or 95 cents a share, according to LSEG data.

Its revenue of $1.3 billion in the quarter was in line with expectations, based on LSEG data.

SQM produces the white metal in the Atacama salt flat of northern Chile, home to the world’s highest lithium concentration in brine, giving it an advantage of low-cost production.

But while it posted record-high quarterly sales volume of lithium, its results were dragged down by a significant drop in the metal’s prices and CEO Ricardo Ramos said that trend will continue.

“We see this pricing trend continuing in the second half of this year, with current lithium price indices in China nearly 20% lower than the average lithium price indices in the second quarter of 2024,” he said.

A basket of lithium prices tracked by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence shows they have fallen about 70% over the past year because of weaker-than-expected global demand for electric vehicles, due in part to high borrowing costs and global uncertainty.

Ramos said some lithium producers may reduce output since the low prices made projects economically unviable. But he told an earnings call SQM was maintaining its lithium capex and that it did not consider the current price environment reflective of long-term lithium prices.

“We are really clear the price will be different in the future. That’s why we have a clear investment plan in lithium,” he said.

Ramos said in the results report SQM will continue with its expansion plans, although it is reevaluating specific markets and initiatives that may be “less attractive in the near term under these conditions.”

U.S. rival Albemarle, which also operates in Atacama, said last month it would cut costs after posting a second-quarter loss.

Investors are also closely watching for updates on SQM’s timeline to close a deal with Chile’s state-run Codelco that will give the state copper giant a majority stake in a joint venture to mine lithium in the Atacama salt flat.

The companies have said they are aiming to secure regulatory approvals by mid-2025.

A Chilean court is analyzing an argument against the deal, after China’s Tianqi Lithium, which owns about a fifth of SQM, challenged the financial regulator’s decision to allow the joint venture to move forward without a vote by shareholders.

Ramos said on Wednesday the company was “very optimistic” about the court’s decision, but that there was no new information on the issue. (Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon in Santiago, Harshita Meenaktshi in Bengaluru, and Brendan O’Boyle in Mexico City; Editing by Savio D’Souza and David Holmes)