Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

by · The Cerbat Gem

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP – Get Free Report) shares gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $19.61, but opened at $20.19. Compass Minerals International shares last traded at $20.36, with a volume of 4,653 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CMP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Compass Minerals International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Compass Point set a $22.00 price objective on shares of Compass Minerals International in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Compass Minerals International from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $22.00 price target on Compass Minerals International in a report on Monday, December 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $20.60.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Compass Minerals International

Compass Minerals International Trading Up 1.7%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $18.22 and a 200 day moving average of $19.23. The company has a market capitalization of $853.50 million, a PE ratio of -10.57 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.55, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 2.15.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, December 8th. The basic materials company reported ($0.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.15) by ($0.02). Compass Minerals International had a negative return on equity of 8.22% and a negative net margin of 6.42%.The firm had revenue of $227.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $223.72 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.77) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post -0.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CMP. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Compass Minerals International by 28.2% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 487,937 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,533,000 after acquiring an additional 107,366 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International in the 1st quarter valued at $4,279,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Compass Minerals International by 275.5% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 581,231 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,400,000 after buying an additional 426,458 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Compass Minerals International in the 1st quarter valued at $634,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 690,800.0% during the 1st quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 6,909 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 6,908 shares during the period. 99.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Compass Minerals International

(Get Free Report)

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.

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