Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) PT Lowered to $20.00

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) had its price target reduced by BMO Capital Markets from $25.00 to $20.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a market perform rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

CMP has been the subject of a number of other reports. Loop Capital lowered shares of Compass Minerals International from a buy rating to a hold rating and reduced their price target for the company from $29.00 to $26.00 in a research report on Monday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Compass Minerals International from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of 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 analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $34.40.

Compass Minerals International Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE:CMP opened at $15.74 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.07, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $650.22 million, a PE ratio of -10.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $20.89 and its 200 day moving average is $23.80. Compass Minerals International has a 12 month low of $13.60 and a 12 month high of $39.78.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($0.19). Compass Minerals International had a negative net margin of 4.97% and a positive return on equity of 4.56%. The business had revenue of $341.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $352.84 million. Compass Minerals International’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Compass Minerals International will post 0.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Compass Minerals International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.81%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. Compass Minerals International’s dividend payout ratio is presently -41.10%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Joseph E. Reece acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $21.24 per share, with a total value of $106,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 16,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $339,840. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.52% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CMP. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in Compass Minerals International by 2.7% in the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 10,615 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $667,000 after buying an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in Compass Minerals International by 3.6% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,742 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $300,000 after buying an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in Compass Minerals International by 0.3% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 105,308 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,580,000 after buying an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its stake in Compass Minerals International by 10.5% in the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 3,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Compass Minerals International by 1.0% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 40,819 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,141,000 after buying an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. 99.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Compass Minerals International

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.