Compass Minerals International, Inc. $CMP Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,757,733 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 17,383 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of Compass Minerals International worth $54,162,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in Compass Minerals International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new stake in Compass Minerals International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Compass Minerals International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $83,000. Vestcor Inc purchased a new stake in Compass Minerals International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $158,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Compass Minerals International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $176,000. 99.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Compass Minerals International Price Performance

CMP stock opened at $29.37 on Friday. Compass Minerals International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $16.40 and a 52-week high of $32.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 2.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.60. The company has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of 195.80 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $24.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.33.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.04. Compass Minerals International had a return on equity of 8.99% and a net margin of 0.55%.The business had revenue of $453.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $418.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.63 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post 0.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CMP shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Compass Minerals International from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday. Compass Point set a $30.00 price objective on Compass Minerals International in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Compass Minerals International from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $20.00 to $30.00 in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Compass Minerals International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Compass Minerals International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $26.00.

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.