232,730 Shares in Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) Purchased by Appian Way Asset Management LP

Appian Way Asset Management LP bought a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 232,730 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $2,618,000. Compass Minerals International makes up approximately 0.5% of Appian Way Asset Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Appian Way Asset Management LP owned about 0.56% of Compass Minerals International at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 76.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 92,803 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,116,000 after purchasing an additional 40,288 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 44.1% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 18,111 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 5,544 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Compass Minerals International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,439,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $9,412,000 after purchasing an additional 6,062 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Compass Minerals International by 77.8% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 154,773 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,741,000 after acquiring an additional 67,725 shares during the period. 99.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Compass Minerals International Stock Up 5.4 %

Shares of NYSE CMP traded up $0.70 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $13.70. 879,468 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 797,368. The company has a market cap of $568.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.47 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 2.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $10.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.05. Compass Minerals International, Inc. has a one year low of $7.51 and a one year high of $15.82.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported ($0.55) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.05) by ($0.50). Compass Minerals International had a negative return on equity of 10.00% and a negative net margin of 15.10%. On average, analysts predict that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post -0.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on CMP. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Compass Minerals International from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Compass Minerals International from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $13.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Compass Minerals International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Compass Minerals International Company Profile

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.