Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Strong Sell

Key Points

• Compass Minerals International has been downgraded by Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating, reflecting growing concerns among analysts about the company's performance.
• In its recent quarterly earnings report, the company posted a loss of ($0.39) earnings per share, significantly missing estimates, while its revenue of $214.60 million was slightly above consensus expectations.
• Despite the negative ratings, institutional investors remain active, with several firms increasing their holdings in the company, showcasing continued interest in its stock.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Compass Minerals International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an "underweight" rating and set a $18.00 price objective (up from $15.00) on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $22.00 price target (up from $14.00) on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $20.00.

Compass Minerals International Price Performance

CMP opened at $19.94 on Monday. Compass Minerals International has a 12-month low of $8.60 and a 12-month high of $22.69. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $19.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.96. The company has a market capitalization of $831.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.83 and a beta of 1.11.

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

Institutional Trading of Compass Minerals International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CMP. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Compass Minerals International by 361.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,812 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 3,769 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 266.5% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 44,244 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $411,000 after acquiring an additional 32,171 shares in the last quarter. Skylands Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 4.1% in the first quarter. Skylands Capital LLC now owns 93,600 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $870,000 after acquiring an additional 3,700 shares in the last quarter. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. lifted its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 33.6% in the first quarter. Lightrock Netherlands B.V. now owns 755,373 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $7,029,000 after acquiring an additional 189,786 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Compass Minerals International by 3.2% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 49,191 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $457,000 after buying an additional 1,535 shares in 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.

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