Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Lifted to Buy at Loop Capital

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) was upgraded by Loop Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a $23.00 target price on the basic materials company’s stock, down from their prior target price of $26.00. Loop Capital’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 82.25% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Compass Minerals International from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target 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, March 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Compass Minerals International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.80.

Compass Minerals International Stock Down 1.3 %

NYSE:CMP opened at $12.62 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.07, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. Compass Minerals International has a one year low of $11.85 and a one year high of $39.78. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $17.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.97.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $341.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $352.84 million. Compass Minerals International’s revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Compass Minerals International will post 0.11 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Compass Minerals International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Morningstar Investment Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 89.2% in the 4th quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 1,352,718 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,333,000 after purchasing an additional 637,883 shares during the last quarter. Magnolia Group LLC grew its holdings in Compass Minerals International by 105.8% during the 4th quarter. Magnolia Group LLC now owns 849,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $21,509,000 after acquiring an additional 436,660 shares during the period. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Compass Minerals International during the 4th quarter valued at $5,039,000. Shapiro Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter. Shapiro Capital Management LLC now owns 1,278,722 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,740,000 after purchasing an additional 193,725 shares during the period. Finally, Yost Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International in the 4th quarter worth $4,583,000. 99.78% of the stock is currently 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.