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

Shares of Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $20.09 and traded as high as $25.58. Compass Minerals International shares last traded at $25.2250, with a volume of 442,068 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital set a $24.00 price objective on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Compass Point set a $22.00 price objective on Compass Minerals International in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Compass Minerals International from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.00.

Compass Minerals International Stock Down 0.0%

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 firm has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of -27.42 and a beta of 1.17. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.09.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $396.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.55) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post -0.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in Compass Minerals International in the fourth quarter valued at about $628,000. Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 64,840 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,273,000 after buying an additional 10,537 shares in the last quarter. Engine Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,529,000. Concentric Capital Strategies LP bought a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,288,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $290,000. 99.78% of the stock is currently 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.