Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also commented on CMP. 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 report on Thursday, December 11th. Loop Capital set a $24.00 price target on Compass Minerals International in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 13th. Finally, Compass Point set a $22.00 price objective on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.00.

Compass Minerals International Trading Down 2.4%

Compass Minerals International stock traded down $0.57 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $23.07. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 21,467 shares, compared to its average volume of 493,632. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $22.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.91. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $965.50 million, a PE ratio of -25.07 and a beta of 1.17. Compass Minerals International has a 1 year low of $8.60 and a 1 year high of $27.00.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $396.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $329.23 million. Compass Minerals International had a positive return on equity of 8.69% and a negative net margin of 2.82%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.55) EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Compass Minerals International will post -0.53 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Compass Minerals International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CMP. Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in Compass Minerals International in the second quarter valued at $5,168,000. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Compass Minerals International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $806,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 57.6% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 916,088 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $18,404,000 after purchasing an additional 334,857 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Compass Minerals International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $422,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 98.5% during the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 75,974 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,526,000 after acquiring an additional 37,691 shares during the last quarter. 99.78% of the stock is currently 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.