Short Interest in Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) Expands By 7.5%

Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP – Get Rating) was the target of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 1,020,000 shares, an increase of 7.5% from the February 13th total of 948,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 367,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Compass Minerals International Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of CMP traded down $0.77 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $32.27. The company had a trading volume of 101,885 shares, compared to its average volume of 363,594. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $41.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 3.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. The stock has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a PE ratio of -40.57 and a beta of 1.35. Compass Minerals International has a 1-year low of $30.67 and a 1-year high of $67.67.

Compass Minerals International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 10th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 9th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. Compass Minerals International’s payout ratio is -75.00%.

Insider Transactions at Compass Minerals International

In related news, insider James D. Standen sold 7,644 shares of Compass Minerals International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.16, for a total value of $352,847.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 26,497 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,223,101.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.51% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Compass Minerals International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Heritage Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Compass Minerals International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Compass Minerals International by 79.8% in the 3rd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 676 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Repertoire Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Compass Minerals International during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd lifted its stake in Compass Minerals International by 438.8% during the third quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd now owns 1,417 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 1,154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Almanack Investment Partners LLC. purchased a new position in Compass Minerals International in the third quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.94% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Compass Minerals International from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 9th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Compass Minerals International in a report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

About Compass Minerals International

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Compass Minerals International, Inc engages in the production of salt, sulfate of potassium, and magnesium chloride, and in the provision of records storage. It operates through the Salt and Plant Nutrition segments. The Salt segment provides highway de-icing salt. The Plant Nutrition segment produces and markets SOP products in various grades worldwide to distributors and retailers of crop inputs.