Compass Minerals International

CMP

Industrial Materials · Basic Materials

Winston Score

Winston is serious

Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.

Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026

How the score breaks down

Quality

Weak

Growth

Mixed

Cash Flow

Exceptional

Stability

Weak

Valuation

Good

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Winston Score History

The full picture

Compass Minerals mines and sells salt and other minerals used in everyday life. Its biggest product is rock salt, which cities and towns buy to melt ice on roads during winter storms. The company also sells specialty fertilizers to farmers and operates one of the largest underground salt mines in the world, located in Goderich, Ontario, Canada.

Compass Minerals makes money by selling these products directly to government agencies, retailers, and agricultural customers across North America and the United Kingdom. Its Goderich mine and a large salt operation in Lyons, Kansas give it a cost advantage because rock salt is heavy and expensive to ship, so nearby customers tend to stick with local suppliers. However, the company's revenue swings significantly depending on how harsh winters are each year, and its low returns on invested capital suggest it has struggled to consistently earn strong profits above its cost of doing business.

Growth Profile

For growth stock investors

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+0.3% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

EPS Growth

+68.3% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

EPS growth accelerating

Insider Activity

23.3%ownership

→ Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$56M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth context

Compass Minerals International is growing revenue at 0% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Profit per sale

Gross Margin

17.6%

Thin — 17.6% gross margin

Profit after running costs

Operating Margin

5.1%

Thin — 5.1% operating margin

Return on the money invested

ROCE

11.8%

Below par — 11.8% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

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Growth

Sales growth

Sales YoY

+5.5%

Slow sales growth (+5.5% YoY)

Profit growth

EPS YoY

N/A

Data not available

How steady the profit is

EPS Consistency

6/8 quarters

Earnings grew in most of the last 8 quarters

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash

Cash Conversion

1719%

Turns 1719% of profit into real cash

Spare cash per sale

FCF Margin

15.3%

Converts sales into free cash efficiently (15.3%)

FCF margin between 10% and 20%. Every $100 in sales becomes $10 to $20 in real cash.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns

Debt / Equity

2.72

Heavy debt load (2.72)

Covers its interest

Interest Cover

1.70x

Dangerous — barely covers interest (1.7x)

Interest coverage between 1 and 3. Profits cover interest, but with little room to spare.

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Valuation

Price vs profit

P/E Ratio (TTM)

56.0x

no trend

Expensive — P/E 56.0

P/E over 35. The market is pricing in heavy, sustained growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year

P/E vs Forward

+20.1

GROWING

Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (56.0 → 35.9)

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Dividends

Not applicable for this business.

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