Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP)’s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $20.51 and traded as high as $22.22. Compass Minerals International shares last traded at $21.51, with a volume of 2,770,358 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital set a $24.00 target price on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Zacks Research raised shares of Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Compass Minerals International from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.00.

Compass Minerals International Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $23.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $20.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $900.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.38 and a beta of 1.15.

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

Institutional Trading of Compass Minerals International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GSA Capital Partners LLP boosted its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 357.0% during the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 63,742 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,224,000 after buying an additional 49,793 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in Compass Minerals International in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,168,000. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Compass Minerals International in the 3rd quarter valued at $806,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Compass Minerals International by 57.6% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 916,088 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $18,404,000 after acquiring an additional 334,857 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Compass Minerals International during the 3rd quarter valued at $422,000. 99.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Compass Minerals International Company Profile

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.