Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Reaches New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

Shares of Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $22.69 and last traded at $22.16, with a volume of 181592 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.25.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on CMP. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Compass Minerals International from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Compass Minerals International from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $22.00 target price (up from $14.00) on shares of Compass Minerals International in a report on Monday, June 23rd.

Compass Minerals International Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $909.27 million, a P/E ratio of -6.15 and a beta of 1.11. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $18.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.24. Compass Minerals International had a negative net margin of 12.15% and a negative return on equity of 24.24%. The firm had revenue of $494.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $413.96 million. Compass Minerals International's revenue for the quarter was up 35.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post -0.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CMP. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 5,544 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted 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 valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 29,567 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,439,000. Ironwood Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Ironwood Investment Management LLC now owns 29,842 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $336,000 after purchasing an additional 1,738 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP lifted its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 66.6% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 112,609 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,267,000 after purchasing an additional 45,000 shares in the last quarter. 99.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.