Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Hits New 12-Month High After Earnings Beat

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $27.22 and last traded at $26.8410, with a volume of 168170 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.46.

The basic materials company reported $999.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $998.41. Compass Minerals International had a positive return on equity of 8.69% and a negative net margin of 2.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CMP. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a report on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research cut Compass Minerals International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $22.00.

Institutional Trading of Compass Minerals International

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International in the third quarter worth $31,000. Comerica Bank increased its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 80.0% in the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 1,868 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 830 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 6,266.7% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,719 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,692 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International in the third quarter worth $60,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International in the second quarter worth $83,000. 99.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Compass Minerals International Stock Up 0.7%

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 company has a market cap of $1.12 billion, a P/E ratio of -28.97 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $24.24 and a 200 day moving average of $21.77.

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.