Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.02 EPS

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) announced its earnings results on Monday. The basic materials company reported ($0.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.15) by ($0.02), Zacks reports. Compass Minerals International had a negative net margin of 9.87% and a negative return on equity of 16.70%.

Compass Minerals International Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of CMP stock traded up $0.34 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $20.62. 1,128,484 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 565,931. The business’s fifty day moving average is $18.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Compass Minerals International has a 12-month low of $8.60 and a 12-month high of $22.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $859.69 million, a P/E ratio of -7.06 and a beta of 1.16.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on CMP. Wall Street Zen cut Compass Minerals International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $18.00 target price (up from $15.00) on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Compass Minerals International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, Compass Minerals International presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $20.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Compass Minerals International during the second quarter worth approximately $83,000. Vestcor Inc purchased a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International during the third quarter worth approximately $158,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 20,665 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $192,000 after acquiring an additional 858 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in Compass Minerals International by 1,450.2% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 10,402 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 9,731 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PDT Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Compass Minerals International during the 2nd quarter worth $234,000. 99.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Compass Minerals International

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.