Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Trading 8% Higher – Time to Buy?

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP)’s share price traded up 8% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $22.49 and last traded at $22.5250. 57,383 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 268,956 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.85.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Compass Minerals International from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 13th. Zacks Research raised shares of Compass Minerals International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. 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. Finally, Loop Capital set a $24.00 price target 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 given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Compass Minerals International presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $22.00.

Compass Minerals International Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.26. The company has a market cap of $951.59 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.85 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.55, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 2.15.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 8th. The basic materials company reported ($0.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.15) by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $227.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 firm’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.77) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post -0.53 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 stock. Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Compass Minerals International in the 2nd quarter worth $5,168,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 57.6% in the second 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. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft acquired a new stake in Compass Minerals International during the second quarter worth about $302,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 37,691 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Compass Minerals International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,572,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.78% of the company’s stock.

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.