Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) shares gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $23.63, but opened at $22.34. Compass Minerals International shares last traded at $23.1770, with a volume of 17,449 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CMP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 13th. Zacks Research raised shares of Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Loop Capital set a $24.00 target price on shares of Compass Minerals International in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Compass Point set a $22.00 price target on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.00.

Compass Minerals International Stock Up 3.1%

The company has a market capitalization of $976.68 million, a PE ratio of -25.36 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $22.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.32. The business 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.55) earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post -0.53 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Compass Minerals International

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in Compass Minerals International during the 2nd quarter valued at $5,168,000. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International in the third quarter worth $806,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 57.6% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 916,088 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $18,404,000 after purchasing an additional 334,857 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International in the third quarter valued at $422,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 98.5% during the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 75,974 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,526,000 after purchasing an additional 37,691 shares during the period. 99.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Compass Minerals International

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.