Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $31.02 and last traded at $29.6280, with a volume of 115212 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.26.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on CMP. Zacks Research lowered Compass Minerals International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Compass Minerals International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $22.00.

Compass Minerals International Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 191.93 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.60, a current ratio of 2.06 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CMP. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Compass Minerals International by 6,266.7% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,719 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,692 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 80.0% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 1,868 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 830 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 94.4% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,216 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,076 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Compass Minerals International in the first quarter valued at approximately $70,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.78% of the company’s stock.

Compass Minerals International Company Profile

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.