fiscal 2026 third quarter
Filed Aug 5, 2026Compass Minerals Reports Fiscal 2026 Third-Quarter Results
Plant Nutrition profitability strengthened and full-year consolidated Adjusted EBITDA guidance was raised, while Salt profitability declined on elevated product and distribution costs and quarterly total company Adjusted EBITDA was below the prior-year period.
Key metrics
as reported| Metric | Value | q/q | y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| RevenueGAAP | $215.3 million | – | – |
| Operating incomeGAAP | $10.9 million | – | – |
| Net lossGAAP | $5.7 million | – | – |
| Net loss per diluted shareGAAP | $0.13 | – | – |
| Adjusted operating incomenon-GAAP | $10.9 million | – | – |
| Adjusted EBITDAnon-GAAP | $39.9 million | – | – |
| Adjusted net lossnon-GAAP | $5.8 million | – | – |
| Adjusted net loss per diluted sharenon-GAAP | $0.14 | – | – |
| Nine-month revenueGAAP | $1,064.6 million | – | – |
| Nine-month operating incomeGAAP | $103.5 million | – | – |
| Nine-month net incomeGAAP | $25.6 million | – | – |
| Nine-month net income per diluted shareGAAP | $0.59 | – | – |
| Nine-month adjusted operating incomenon-GAAP | $103.5 million | – | – |
| Nine-month Adjusted EBITDAnon-GAAP | $191.6 million | – | – |
| Nine-month adjusted net incomenon-GAAP | $40.1 million | – | – |
| Nine-month adjusted net income per diluted sharenon-GAAP | $0.93 | – | – |
| Salt segment operating incomeGAAP | $21.2 million | – | decreased by 25% |
| Salt segment Adjusted EBITDAnon-GAAP | $38.9 million | – | down 15% |
| Plant Nutrition segment operating incomeGAAP | $7.8 million | – | up 50% |
| Plant Nutrition segment Adjusted EBITDAnon-GAAP | $15.0 million | – | improved 32% |
| Net leverage ratioother | 2.8 times | – | – |
Segments
| Segment | Revenue | q/q | y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| SaltHigher pricing across both highway and consumer and industrial products. Combined average sales prices increased 9%, with highway prices up 8% and consumer and industrial prices up 6%, while total sales volumes declined 4%. | $173.9 million | – | increased 5% year over year |
| Plant NutritionSales volume decreased 19%, partially offset by a 4% increase in average sales prices. Lower sales volumes were largely attributable to the disposition of the Wynyard sulfate of potash business in March 2026; excluding the disposition, sales volumes increased approximately 4% year over year. | $37.6 million | – | down 16% compared to the prior-year period |
full-year fiscal 2026 outlook
- Tax rate27% - 31% effective income tax rate (excl. valuation allowance)
- NoteSalt highway sales volumes: 8,600 - 8,800 thousand tons
- NoteSalt consumer and industrial sales volumes: 1,900 - 2,000 thousand tons
- NoteTotal salt sales volumes: 10,500 - 10,800 thousand tons
- NoteSalt revenue: $1,053 - $1,090 million
- NoteSalt Adjusted EBITDA: $225 - $236 million
- NotePlant Nutrition sales volumes: 290 - 300 thousand tons
- NotePlant Nutrition revenue: $200 - $209 million
- NotePlant Nutrition Adjusted EBITDA: $49 - $57 million
- NoteCorporate & Other Adjusted EBITDA: ($56) - ($51) million
- NoteTotal Compass Minerals Adjusted EBITDA: $218 - $242 million
- NoteTotal capital expenditures: $90 - $110 million
- NoteDepreciation, depletion and amortization: $105 - $115 million
- NoteInterest expense, net: $62 - $67 million
What drove it
- Salt highway pricing increased 8% and consumer and industrial pricing increased 6%.
- Plant Nutrition pricing increased 4%, while product and distribution costs declined on a per-unit basis year over year.
- The company cited stronger-than-expected Plant Nutrition results as a basis for its updated outlook.
- The 2026-27 highway deicing bid season showed substantial year-over-year price improvement and consistent growth in demand tenders in core U.S. markets.
- S&P Global Ratings upgraded the corporate credit rating to ‘B+’ from ‘B’, with a stable outlook.
Concerns
- Salt segment operating income decreased by 25% and Adjusted EBITDA was down 15% from the prior-year period.
- Salt sales volumes declined 4%, including a 6% decrease in highway volumes.
- Higher per-unit product costs and distribution costs weighed on Salt results.
- Plant Nutrition revenue declined 16% and sales volume decreased 19%, largely due to the Wynyard SOP business disposition.
- The company cited mix dynamics, inflationary pressures and the pace of operational improvements in Salt as factors in its updated outlook.
- Nine-month operating cash flow was below the prior-year period.
What to watch
- Salt production costs, including maintenance, labor and associated costs, which management said remained elevated relative to plan.
- Realization of pricing and demand trends during the 2026-27 highway deicing bid season.
- Salt sales-volume performance against full-year guidance of 10,500 - 10,800 thousand tons.
- Plant Nutrition performance against updated Adjusted EBITDA guidance of $49 - $57 million.
- Progress in capital spending, debt reduction and net leverage.
Balance sheet and cash flow
- Net cash provided by operating activities was $162.8 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2026, compared to $204.6 million in the prior year.
- Net cash used in investing activities was $39.8 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2026, compared to $34.7 million used in the prior year.
- Total capital spending was $62.1 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2026, compared to $53.8 million in 2025.
- The company received $23.3 million of cash proceeds, net of amounts held in escrow and customary closing adjustments, related to the sale of the Wynyard SOP business.
- Net cash used in financing activities was $127.1 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2026, compared to $111.5 million in the prior year.
- The company redeemed the remaining $150.0 million of its 6.75% Senior Notes due 2027 and had net borrowings under the revolving credit facility of $35.0 million during the nine months ended June 30, 2026.
- Liquidity was $328.1 million, comprised of $56.3 million in cash and cash equivalents and $271.8 million of availability under its $325.0 million revolving credit facility.
- Total debt was $716.6 million as of June 30, 2026, compared to $825.3 million a year earlier.
- Net debt was $660.3 million, down $85.6 million from $745.9 million at the end of the comparable prior-year period.
Analysis
Compass Minerals reported quarterly revenue of $215.3 million, compared with $214.6 million in the prior-year period. GAAP operating income was $10.9 million versus $15.9 million, while net loss narrowed to $5.7 million from $17.0 million. Total company Adjusted EBITDA was $39.9 million, compared with $41.0 million in the prior-year quarter. For the nine months, revenue was $1,064.6 million and Adjusted EBITDA was $191.6 million, compared with $1,016.4 million and $157.2 million, respectively, in the prior-year period.
Salt revenue increased 5% to $173.9 million as higher pricing offset lower volume. Combined average sales prices increased 9%, driven by an 8% increase in highway pricing and a 6% increase in consumer and industrial pricing, but total sales volumes declined 4%. Segment operating income decreased 25% to $21.2 million and Adjusted EBITDA declined 15% to $38.9 million. The release identifies higher per-unit product costs and distribution costs, as well as lower sales volumes, as the principal offset to the pricing gains.
Plant Nutrition was the principal area of improvement. Revenue declined 16% to $37.6 million because sales volume decreased 19%, largely due to the March 2026 sale of the Wynyard SOP business. Excluding the impact of that disposition, sales volumes increased approximately 4% year over year. A 4% increase in average sales prices and lower per-unit product and distribution costs supported operating income of $7.8 million, compared with $5.2 million, and Adjusted EBITDA of $15.0 million, compared with $11.4 million.
Cash flow reflected seasonality, the Ontario tax-dispute settlement, investment activity and debt repayment. Net cash provided by operating activities was $162.8 million for the nine months, compared with $204.6 million in the prior year, while total capital spending was $62.1 million. The company redeemed the remaining $150.0 million of its 2027 Notes, ended the quarter with total debt of $716.6 million and reported net leverage of 2.8 times, down from 4.3 times in the comparable prior-year period.
The updated outlook raises total company Adjusted EBITDA guidance to $218 - $242 million, supported by higher Plant Nutrition expectations. The Salt Adjusted EBITDA range is $225 - $236 million, and management cited mix dynamics, inflationary pressures and the pace of operating improvements in Salt. Plant Nutrition Adjusted EBITDA guidance is $49 - $57 million. The key operational issue remains whether Salt production costs improve while the company seeks to capture constructive highway deicing pricing and demand conditions.
Management, verbatim
What we are experiencing in our Plant Nutrition business is the clearest example of what our improvement process can deliver. We produced segment Adjusted EBITDA of $15.0 million in the quarter on improved pricing and lower per-unit costs, and we have again raised our full-year expectations for this business.
Edward C. Dowling Jr., president and CEO
However, production costs at our mining operations have not yet improved at the pace we expected. Production tons are up year over year, but as we invest in maintenance, labor and associated costs have remained elevated relative to plan.
Edward C. Dowling Jr., president and CEO
Looking ahead, the 2026-27 highway deicing bid season has been very constructive. In our core U.S. markets, we are seeing substantial year-over-year price improvement and consistent growth in demand tenders.
Edward C. Dowling Jr., president and CEO
Not in the filing
stated, not guessed- Gross profit and gross margin, including GAAP and non-GAAP gross-margin comparisons, were not reported in the provided filing text.
- Quarterly operating cash flow, investing cash flow, financing cash flow, capital expenditures and free cash flow were not reported in the provided filing text.
- Free cash flow was not reported in the provided filing text.
- Dividend declarations, dividend payments and share repurchases were not reported in the provided filing text.
- Prior-quarter comparisons were not reported for the listed quarterly metrics.
- Prior-year dollar value for Salt segment operating income was not reported on its own line.
- Prior-year dollar value for Salt segment Adjusted EBITDA was not reported on its own line.
- Total company revenue guidance was not reported.
- Gross-margin and operating-expense guidance were not reported.
- A previous-release outlook was not provided; therefore, no actual-versus-prior-guidance comparison is included.
AlphaAI analysis generated from the company’s SEC earnings filing (Form 8-K Item 2.02, or Form 6-K for a foreign private issuer). Every figure was cross-checked against the filing text; consensus estimates, price targets and share-price reactions are not shown because they are not in the filing. AI-generated research, not investment advice.