Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Shares Pass Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Shares crossed above its 200-day moving average, trading as high as $26.26 and last at $25.30, a bullish technical signal versus the 200‑day MA of $21.26 (50‑day MA $23.70).
• Analyst opinions are mixed — one Strong Buy, one Buy, one Hold and two Sells — leaving a consensus rating of "Hold" with a $22 average price target.
• Fundamentals show a quarter beat (EPS $0.43 vs $0.11 and revenue $396.1M, +28.9% YoY), but the company still has a negative net margin (-2.82%), high leverage (debt/equity 3.39) and analysts forecast FY EPS of -0.53.

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP - Get Free Report) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $21.26 and traded as high as $26.26. Compass Minerals International shares last traded at $25.3040, with a volume of 492,318 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CMP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Compass Minerals International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Loop Capital set a $24.00 target price on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Compass Minerals International from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $22.00.

Compass Minerals International Stock Down 2.1%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $23.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of -27.50 and a beta of 1.16.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $396.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $329.23 million. Compass Minerals International had a positive return on equity of 8.69% and a negative net margin of 2.82%.The firm's revenue was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.55) earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post -0.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CMP. SailingStone Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Compass Minerals International by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. SailingStone Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,414,067 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $106,332,000 after purchasing an additional 308,957 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Compass Minerals International by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,775,116 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $53,282,000 after purchasing an additional 354,960 shares during the last quarter. Ewing Morris & Co. Investment Partners Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 201.7% in the 2nd 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 during the period. Gumshoe Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Compass Minerals International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $24,842,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Compass Minerals International by 35.0% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,236,884 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $23,748,000 after buying an additional 320,796 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.78% of the company's stock.

About Compass Minerals International

Compass Minerals International, Inc is a global producer of essential mineral-based products, primarily known for its salt and plant nutrition portfolios. The company's deicing salts are used by municipalities and commercial customers across North America to maintain safer roadways in winter months. In addition, its water conditioning salts serve both residential and industrial users, supporting water treatment systems that remove hard minerals to protect plumbing and equipment.

Beyond conventional salt products, Compass Minerals has developed a specialty plant nutrition business focused on sulfate of potash (SOP), a premium fertilizer that provides both potassium and sulfur to crops.

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