Zacks Research Downgrades Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) to Hold

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on CMP. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Compass Minerals International from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $22.00.

Compass Minerals International Stock Up 3.9%

Shares of NYSE CMP opened at $26.44 on Monday. Compass Minerals International has a one year low of $13.53 and a one year high of $27.15. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $24.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a PE ratio of -28.74 and a beta of 1.18.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.32. Compass Minerals International had a positive return on equity of 8.69% and a negative net margin of 2.82%.The firm had revenue of $396.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $329.23 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.55) EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Compass Minerals International will post 0.89 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 357.0% during the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 63,742 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,224,000 after purchasing an additional 49,793 shares during the last quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $806,000. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. increased its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. now owns 593,887 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,664,000 after purchasing an additional 23,860 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $422,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. increased its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 8,417.1% during the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 335,061 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,433,000 after purchasing an additional 331,127 shares during the last quarter. 99.78% of the stock is currently owned by 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.