Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Stock Price Up 8.5%

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) shares rose 8.5% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $14.86 and last traded at $14.85. 173,675 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 706,560 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.69.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CMP shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Compass Minerals International from $75.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Loop Capital downgraded Compass Minerals International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $29.00 to $26.00 in a research report on Monday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Compass Minerals International from $25.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $34.40.

Compass Minerals International Trading Up 1.5 %

The company has a fifty day moving average of $20.89 and a 200-day moving average of $23.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 3.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $341.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $352.84 million. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post 0.2 EPS for the current year.

Compass Minerals International Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other Compass Minerals International news, Director Joseph E. Reece bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $21.24 per share, with a total value of $106,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 16,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $339,840. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.52% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 10,615 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $667,000 after buying an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 3.6% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,742 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $300,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 0.3% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 105,308 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,580,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 3,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Compass Minerals International by 1.0% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. 99.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.