Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) have been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $22.00.

A number of research firms have weighed in on CMP. Wall Street Zen upgraded Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Compass Minerals International from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Compass Minerals International from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Loop Capital set a $24.00 target price on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Compass Minerals International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th.

Compass Minerals International Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of CMP opened at $22.47 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. The business has a fifty day moving average of $21.64 and a 200 day moving average of $19.74. The company has a market cap of $940.27 million, a PE ratio of -24.43 and a beta of 1.17. Compass Minerals International has a 52-week low of $8.60 and a 52-week high of $27.00.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $396.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $329.23 million. Compass Minerals International had a negative net margin of 2.82% and a positive return on equity of 8.69%. The firm’s revenue was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.55) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Compass Minerals International will post -0.53 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 10.5% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 49,928 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $464,000 after buying an additional 4,740 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Compass Minerals International by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 20,665 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $192,000 after purchasing an additional 858 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its position in Compass Minerals International by 37.6% during the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 3,967 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 1,084 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 95.0% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 68.2% in the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 11,620 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 4,711 shares during the period. 99.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Compass Minerals International

Compass Minerals International, Inc is a global producer of essential mineral-based products, primarily known for its salt and plant nutrition portfolios. The company’s deicing salts are used by municipalities and commercial customers across North America to maintain safer roadways in winter months. In addition, its water conditioning salts serve both residential and industrial users, supporting water treatment systems that remove hard minerals to protect plumbing and equipment.

Beyond conventional salt products, Compass Minerals has developed a specialty plant nutrition business focused on sulfate of potash (SOP), a premium fertilizer that provides both potassium and sulfur to crops.