Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Trading Down 3.5% – Should You Sell?
by Michael Walen · The Markets DailyCompass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP – Get Free Report) shares traded down 3.5% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $19.91 and last traded at $19.81. 72,069 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 579,434 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.53.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages recently commented on CMP. Compass Point set a $22.00 target price on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Wall Street Zen raised Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 13th. Zacks Research upgraded Compass Minerals International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Compass Minerals International from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $20.60.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on CMP
Compass Minerals International Stock Down 2.0%
The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $841.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.48 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $18.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.23.
Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, December 8th. The basic materials company reported ($0.17) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.15) by ($0.02). Compass Minerals International had a negative net margin of 6.42% and a negative return on equity of 8.22%. The business had revenue of $227.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $223.72 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.77) earnings per share. Compass Minerals International’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post -0.53 EPS for the current year.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Nomura Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 48.5% during the third quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 382,093 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $7,336,000 after purchasing an additional 124,874 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Compass Minerals International by 379.4% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 522,108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,024,000 after buying an additional 413,205 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC raised its position in Compass Minerals International by 22.4% during the 3rd quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 54,303 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,043,000 after buying an additional 9,944 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC lifted its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 149.4% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 36,590 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $703,000 after acquiring an additional 21,920 shares during the period. Finally, Man Group plc boosted its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 25.8% in the third quarter. Man Group plc now owns 215,934 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,146,000 after acquiring an additional 44,320 shares in the last quarter. 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.