Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Stock Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Technical move: CMP crossed above its 200-day moving average of $20.84, trading as high as $23.86 and last at $22.7410 on ~495,952 shares, while analysts' ratings are mixed and the consensus target is $22.00.
• Quarterly beat but mixed fundamentals: The company reported $0.43 EPS vs. $0.11 expected and revenue of $396.1M (up 28.9% YoY), yet it still shows a negative net margin (-2.82%) and analysts expect -0.53 EPS for the fiscal year.
• Heavy institutional ownership: Roughly 99.78% of the stock is held by hedge funds and institutional investors, with large recent position changes by SailingStone, Vanguard and others.

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $20.84 and traded as high as $23.86. Compass Minerals International shares last traded at $22.7410, with a volume of 495,952 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on CMP shares. Zacks Research upgraded Compass Minerals International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Compass Minerals International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, December 13th. Compass Point set a $22.00 price objective on Compass Minerals International in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Compass Minerals International from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Compass Minerals International currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $22.00.

Compass Minerals International Stock Up 0.0%

The stock has a market cap of $951.94 million, a PE ratio of -24.72 and a beta of 1.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $23.72 and a 200 day moving average of $20.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CMP. SailingStone Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. SailingStone Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,414,067 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $106,332,000 after buying an additional 308,957 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 354,960 shares during the last quarter. Ewing Morris & Co. Investment Partners Ltd. raised its stake in Compass Minerals International by 201.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ewing Morris & Co. Investment Partners Ltd. now owns 1,280,648 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,728,000 after acquiring an additional 856,149 shares in the last quarter. Gumshoe Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Compass Minerals International during the 4th quarter worth $24,842,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Compass Minerals International by 35.0% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,236,884 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $23,748,000 after acquiring an additional 320,796 shares during the last quarter. 99.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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