Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) Short Interest Up 10.1% in April

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,480,000 shares, a growth of 10.1% from the March 31st total of 3,160,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 688,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.1 days.

Compass Minerals International Stock Performance

Shares of CMP opened at $13.34 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a market cap of $551.08 million, a P/E ratio of -9.14, a P/E/G ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 1.13. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $17.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.63. Compass Minerals International has a 52 week low of $11.85 and a 52 week high of $39.78.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.19). Compass Minerals International had a positive return on equity of 4.56% and a negative net margin of 4.97%. The company had revenue of $341.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $352.84 million. Compass Minerals International’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Compass Minerals International will post 0.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Compass Minerals International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.50%. Compass Minerals International’s dividend payout ratio is currently -41.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital raised shares of Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Friday. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on 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. 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 note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.80.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CMP. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 1.0% during the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 40,819 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,141,000 after buying an additional 410 shares during the last quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Compass Minerals International by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 4,235 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 484 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 7,270 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 6.0% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 10,600 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 603 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 8,410 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $213,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares in the last quarter. 99.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.