Pacer Advisors Inc. Takes Position in Compass Minerals International, Inc. $CMP

Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 290,210 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,572,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 22.5% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 23,712 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $455,000 after purchasing an additional 4,348 shares in the last quarter. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 4.4% in the third quarter. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. now owns 570,027 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,945,000 after purchasing an additional 24,199 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Compass Minerals International by 3.5% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 64,702 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,294,000 after buying an additional 2,211 shares in the last quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Compass Minerals International during the second quarter worth about $913,000. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in Compass Minerals International in the second quarter valued at about $5,168,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.78% of the company’s stock.

Compass Minerals International Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NYSE:CMP opened at $19.56 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $817.79 million, a P/E ratio of -10.18 and a beta of 1.16. Compass Minerals International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $8.60 and a 52-week high of $22.69. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $18.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.24.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Compass Minerals International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Loop Capital set a $22.00 target price on Compass Minerals International in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Compass Point set a $22.00 price target on Compass Minerals International in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased 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. One equities 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $20.60.

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.