Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Compass Minerals International from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Loop Capital set a $24.00 target price on Compass Minerals International in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Compass Minerals International from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.00.

Compass Minerals International Trading Down 4.3%

NYSE CMP opened at $22.62 on Tuesday. Compass Minerals International has a one year low of $8.60 and a one year high of $27.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 2.59. The company has a market capitalization of $946.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.59 and a beta of 1.17. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $22.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.93.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $396.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 company’s revenue was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.55) EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Compass Minerals International will post -0.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Martingale Asset Management L P increased its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 1.7% during 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 acquiring an additional 606 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 95.0% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 664 shares during the period. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 7,863 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $158,000 after acquiring an additional 791 shares during the period. Comerica Bank raised its position 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. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in Compass Minerals International by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 20,665 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $192,000 after acquiring an additional 858 shares during the period. 99.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.