Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Given New $18.00 Price Target at BMO Capital Markets

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) had its price target lowered by stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $20.00 to $18.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “market perform” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price target would suggest a potential upside of 59.01% from the company’s current price.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Compass Minerals International to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Compass Minerals International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $30.50.

Compass Minerals International Stock Performance

NYSE:CMP opened at $11.32 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.47, a current ratio of 2.90 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market cap of $469.20 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.76 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $13.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.90. Compass Minerals International has a 1-year low of $7.51 and a 1-year high of $26.94.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last issued its earnings results on Monday, December 16th. The basic materials company reported ($0.77) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.05 by ($0.82). Compass Minerals International had a negative net margin of 14.81% and a positive return on equity of 4.75%. The firm had revenue of $208.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $323.61 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.05 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 38.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Compass Minerals International will post 0.04 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. 272 Capital LP acquired a new position in Compass Minerals International during the third quarter worth about $226,000. Denver PWM LLC grew its holdings in Compass Minerals International by 33.8% in the third quarter. Denver PWM LLC now owns 3,745 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 946 shares during the last quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. now owns 187,365 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,252,000 after buying an additional 24,615 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 76.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 92,803 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,116,000 after buying an additional 40,288 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Compass Minerals International by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 782,811 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,412,000 after acquiring an additional 6,062 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.78% of the company’s stock.

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.