Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Shares Gap Up to $12.62

Shares of Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $12.62, but opened at $13.73. Compass Minerals International shares last traded at $13.71, with a volume of 110,479 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CMP. Loop Capital raised Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Compass Minerals International from $75.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Compass Minerals International from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Compass Minerals International from $25.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Compass Minerals International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.80.

Compass Minerals International Trading Up 3.0 %

The business has a 50-day moving average of $17.64 and a 200 day moving average of $21.91. The stock has a market cap of $537.03 million, a PE ratio of -9.32, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 3.07.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.19). The firm had revenue of $341.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $352.84 million. Compass Minerals International had a positive return on equity of 4.56% and a negative net margin of 4.97%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post 0.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Compass Minerals International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.62%. Compass Minerals International’s payout ratio is currently -41.10%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Compass Minerals International in the third quarter valued at $512,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in Compass Minerals International by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 10,946 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 2,009 shares during the period. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC increased its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 1,047 shares during the last quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 31.2% during the 3rd quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC now owns 49,396 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,381,000 after acquiring an additional 11,760 shares during the period. Finally, Ulland Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Compass Minerals International in the third quarter worth approximately $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.78% of the company’s stock.

Compass Minerals International Company Profile

Compass Minerals International, Inc, provides essential minerals in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Salt and Plant Nutrition. The Salt segment produces, markets, and sells sodium chloride and magnesium chloride, including rock salt, mechanically and solar evaporated salt, and brine and flake magnesium chloride products; and purchases potassium chloride and calcium chloride to sell as finished products or to blend with sodium chloride to produce specialty products.