Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Stock Price Up 3.8%

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP)’s stock price rose 3.8% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $15.03 and last traded at $15.03. Approximately 99,177 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 708,439 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.48.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CMP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets reduced 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. Loop Capital downgraded Compass Minerals International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $29.00 to $26.00 in a research report on Monday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on 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, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Compass Minerals International from $75.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Compass Minerals International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.40.

Compass Minerals International Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $590.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 3.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $19.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $22.74.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $341.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $352.84 million. Compass Minerals International had a negative net margin of 4.97% and a positive return on equity of 4.56%. Compass Minerals International’s revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post 0.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Compass Minerals International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. Compass Minerals International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -41.10%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Joseph E. Reece acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $21.24 per share, with a total value of $106,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 16,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $339,840. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.52% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Compass Minerals International by 117.9% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,391 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 2,376 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Compass Minerals International by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 140,097 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,547,000 after purchasing an additional 19,455 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Compass Minerals International by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 31,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $795,000 after purchasing an additional 1,849 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its position in Compass Minerals International by 181.4% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 57,103 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,445,000 after purchasing an additional 36,812 shares during the period. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Compass Minerals International during the 4th quarter worth about $354,000. 99.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.