Short Interest in Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) Rises By 7.9%

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,940,000 shares, a growth of 7.9% from the June 30th total of 4,580,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 729,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.8 days.

Compass Minerals International Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of CMP stock traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $12.89. 465,310 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 706,701. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $11.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.72. Compass Minerals International has a 12-month low of $9.76 and a 12-month high of $39.78. The stock has a market cap of $532.74 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.17, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $1.26. Compass Minerals International had a negative net margin of 7.47% and a positive return on equity of 22.03%. The firm had revenue of $364.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $386.97 million. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.46) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Compass Minerals International will post 0.55 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Loop Capital raised Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Friday, April 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CMP. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its position in Compass Minerals International by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 42,303 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,071,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 15,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $398,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co bought a new stake in shares of Compass Minerals International during the 4th quarter valued at $213,000. Krilogy Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 20.8% during the 4th quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 38,318 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $970,000 after acquiring an additional 6,599 shares during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International during the 4th quarter valued at $428,000. Institutional investors 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.