Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Stock Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP)’s share price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $19.84 and traded as high as $24.16. Compass Minerals International shares last traded at $24.0450, with a volume of 343,056 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CMP. Zacks Research upgraded Compass Minerals International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Compass Minerals International from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 13th. Compass Point set a $22.00 target price on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $24.00 price target on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, Compass Minerals International presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $22.00.

Compass Minerals International Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $21.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. The company has a market capitalization of $1.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -26.14 and a beta of 1.17.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $396.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $329.23 million. Compass Minerals International had a negative net margin of 2.82% and a positive return on equity of 8.69%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.55) earnings per share. Analysts predict that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post -0.53 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 194.5% during the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 9,393 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 6,204 shares during the last quarter. Bridgefront Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Compass Minerals International in the fourth quarter valued at about $249,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 17.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 800,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $15,719,000 after purchasing an additional 121,634 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P boosted its holdings in Compass Minerals International by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 36,832 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $723,000 after purchasing an additional 606 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 169,873 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,336,000 after purchasing an additional 21,392 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.