Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Hits New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $20.96 and last traded at $20.17, with a volume of 341523 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $19.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on CMP. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Compass Minerals International from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Sunday. BMO Capital Markets increased 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 report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Compass Minerals International from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $13.00 to $15.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Compass Minerals International Trading Down 0.7%

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 firm has a market cap of $795.63 million, a P/E ratio of -4.85 and a beta of 1.11. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $15.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.14.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $494.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $413.96 million. Compass Minerals International had a negative net margin of 15.10% and a negative return on equity of 10.00%. The business's revenue was up 35.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post -0.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Compass Minerals International

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CMP. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its stake in Compass Minerals International by 35.9% in the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 7,189 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 1,900 shares during the last quarter. Denver PWM LLC lifted its stake in Compass Minerals International by 25.8% in the fourth quarter. Denver PWM LLC now owns 4,712 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 967 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in 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 worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 5,544 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 6,121.5% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 30,050 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 29,567 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,439,000. Institutional investors own 99.78% of the company's stock.

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.