For the quarter ended September 2023, Compass Minerals (CMP) reported revenue of $233.6 million, down 6.3% over the same period last year. EPS came in at -$0.06, compared to $0.01 in the year-ago quarter.
The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $234.84 million, representing a surprise of -0.53%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of -142.86%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.14.
While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.
Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.
Here is how Compass performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:
- Average Sales Price per ton - Plant Nutrition: $691 compared to the $634.01 average estimate based on two analysts.
- Sales volumes - Plant Nutrition: 51 KTon versus the two-analyst average estimate of 48.85 KTon.
- Average Salt Sales Price per ton - Total Salt: $98.03 versus $99.95 estimated by two analysts on average.
- Sales volumes of salt products - Consumer and Industrial: 470 KTon versus the two-analyst average estimate of 510.45 KTon.
- Average Salt Sales Price per ton - Consumer and Industrial: $187.44 versus the two-analyst average estimate of $179.80.
- Sales volumes - Total Salt: 1,905 KTon versus 1,832.38 KTon estimated by two analysts on average.
- Sales volumes of salt products - Highway Deicing: 1,435 KTon versus 1,321.93 KTon estimated by two analysts on average.
- Average Salt Sales Price per ton - Highway Deicing: $68.78 versus $69.12 estimated by two analysts on average.
- Sales to external customers- Salt: $186.70 million versus $183.13 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -1.2% change.
- Sales to external customers- Plant Nutrition: $35.30 million versus $30.72 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -38.9% change.
- Sales to external customers- Corporate & Other: $11.60 million compared to the $2.65 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of +329.6% year over year.
- Operating earnings- Corporate and Other: -$23.30 million versus -$6.65 million estimated by two analysts on average.
Shares of Compass have returned -6% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +4.2% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.
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