Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Stock Price Down 12.6% – Here’s What Happened

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP)’s stock price fell 12.6% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $21.02 and last traded at $22.2950. 326,344 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 26% from the average session volume of 441,705 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.52.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on CMP shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 13th. Zacks Research upgraded Compass Minerals International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Compass Point set a $22.00 price objective on Compass Minerals International in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $24.00 target price on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $22.00.

Compass Minerals International Trading Down 11.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.55, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market cap of $947.51 million, a PE ratio of -11.88 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $21.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.74.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $396.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $329.23 million. Compass Minerals International had a negative net margin of 6.42% and a negative return on equity of 8.22%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.55) EPS. Analysts forecast that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post -0.53 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CMP. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 95.0% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 664 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in Compass Minerals International in the third quarter worth $31,000. Comerica Bank grew its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 80.0% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 1,868 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 830 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new stake in Compass Minerals International in the third quarter worth $60,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 37.6% during 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 buying an additional 1,084 shares during the last quarter. 99.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.