Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Sets New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $23.66 and last traded at $23.27, with a volume of 124191 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $22.50.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on CMP. Zacks Research raised shares of Compass Minerals International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $22.00.

Compass Minerals International Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $19.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $965.37 million, a PE ratio of -12.03 and a beta of 1.17.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 8th. The basic materials company reported ($0.17) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.15) by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $227.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $223.72 million. Compass Minerals International had a negative return on equity of 8.22% and a negative net margin of 6.42%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.77) EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post -0.53 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC raised its position in Compass Minerals International by 95.0% during 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. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International during the third quarter valued at $31,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Compass Minerals International in the third quarter valued at about $60,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 37.6% in the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 3,967 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 1,084 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Compass Minerals International in the second quarter worth about $83,000. 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.