Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) saw a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,160,000 shares, an increase of 16.6% from the March 15th total of 2,710,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 723,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.4 days.

Compass Minerals International Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE CMP traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $13.61. 512,427 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 708,794. The company’s fifty day moving average is $18.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 3.07. Compass Minerals International has a fifty-two week low of $13.10 and a fifty-two week high of $39.78. The stock has a market cap of $562.02 million, a PE ratio of -9.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.13.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.19). Compass Minerals International had a negative net margin of 4.97% and a positive return on equity of 4.56%. The company had revenue of $341.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $352.84 million. The company’s revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Compass Minerals International will post 0.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Compass Minerals International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.41%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. Compass Minerals International’s dividend payout ratio is currently -41.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on CMP shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Compass Minerals International from $25.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Compass Minerals International from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Compass Minerals International from $75.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered Compass Minerals International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $29.00 to $26.00 in a report on Monday, March 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $34.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Joseph E. Reece acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $21.24 per share, with a total value of $106,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 16,000 shares in the company, valued at $339,840. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.52% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in Compass Minerals International by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 10,615 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $667,000 after buying an additional 284 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,742 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $300,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 3,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 40,819 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,141,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 4,235 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 484 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.78% of the company’s stock.

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.