Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Cut to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Compass Minerals International has been downgraded from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating by Wall Street Zen, reflecting a cautious outlook on the stock.
• In recent earnings, the company reported a loss of ($0.39) per share, missing expectations, despite a revenue increase of 5.8% year-over-year.
• Hedge funds and institutional investors hold 99.78% of Compass Minerals' stock, indicating significant institutional interest in the company.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and issued a $22.00 price target (up from $14.00) on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $18.00 price target (up from $15.00) on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Compass Minerals International from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Compass Minerals International to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $20.00.

Compass Minerals International Price Performance

CMP stock traded down $0.34 during trading on Friday, reaching $18.68. 153,640 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 658,613. The company has a 50-day moving average of $20.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.71. The company has a market capitalization of $778.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.40 and a beta of 1.11. Compass Minerals International has a twelve month low of $7.51 and a twelve month high of $22.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 11th. The basic materials company reported ($0.39) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.13) by ($0.26). Compass Minerals International had a negative net margin of 9.87% and a negative return on equity of 16.70%. The firm had revenue of $214.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.60 million. During the same period last year, the business earned ($1.05) EPS. The company's revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Compass Minerals International has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Compass Minerals International will post -0.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in Compass Minerals International in the fourth quarter worth $79,139,000. SailingStone Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. SailingStone Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,427,142 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $61,055,000 after buying an additional 652,129 shares in the last quarter. Ewing Morris & Co. Investment Partners Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 201.7% in the second quarter. Ewing Morris & Co. Investment Partners Ltd. now owns 1,280,648 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $25,728,000 after buying an additional 856,149 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 642.5% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 1,058,551 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $11,909,000 after buying an additional 915,983 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 57.6% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 916,088 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $18,404,000 after buying an additional 334,857 shares in the last quarter. 99.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.