Company Website: https://www.compassminerals.com/
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- (Business Wire)

Compass Minerals (NYSE: CMP), a leading global provider of essential minerals, today reported fiscal 2026 second-quarter results. The company also announced that unionized employees at its Goderich mine have ratified a new three-year collective bargaining agreement.

Unless otherwise noted, it should be assumed that time periods referenced below are on a fiscal-year basis and financial amounts are in U.S. dollars.

MANAGEMENT COMMENTARY

“Consistent with our Back-to-Basics framework, during the quarter we took a significant step in strengthening our balance sheet by retiring the remaining $150 million of senior unsecured notes due in 2027 and removing our nearest debt maturity,” said Edward C. Dowling Jr., president and CEO. “We had a strong winter across much of North America, and our Salt platform delivered on a high level of sales commitments while continuing to realize pricing gains. Our Plant Nutrition segment delivered another strong quarter at Ogden, with meaningful year-over-year improvement in cost performance and margins. Total company adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $86.4 million, bringing us to $151.7 million for the first half of the year and on track to achieve our full-year outlook. We increased our Plant Nutrition guidance to reflect the strong results we continue to see in that operation, including higher expected sales volumes, better pricing and lower costs. We decreased our Salt guidance to reflect the differences in regional and product sales mix relative to forecast. Additionally, while we are seeing improvements in mine-level product costs, we have not yet achieved the level of production and efficiency gains in our mining operations that we had expected earlier in the year.

“Goderich mine is important for Compass Minerals, and I am pleased that we reached a new three-year agreement with the represented workforce. We believe we have struck a mutually beneficial arrangement that allows us to continue building upon the safe and reliable operations while allowing us to take steps to improve the mine's efficiency and flexibility.

“The hard work being done across the company is beginning to bear fruit. Some of this is manifesting itself currently in our financial results, while other initiatives will take a little more time. We know what we need to do and we are heading in the right direction, but there is more work to be done. We remain focused on reducing debt, improving our operations in all areas of the company, and building long-term value for shareholders.”

QUARTERLY HIGHLIGHTS

• Net income of $12.7 million for the second quarter of 2026, compared to a net loss of $32.0 million in the prior year;
• Total company adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter of 2026 of $86.4 million, up 3% year over year;
• Operating earnings and adjusted EBITDA margins within the Salt business improved year over year; absolute operating earnings and adjusted EBITDA both declined 3% between comparative periods, driven principally by lower highway deicing sales volume;
• Continued improvements in pricing and cost structure increased Plant Nutrition segment operating earnings and adjusted EBITDA on both absolute and per-ton bases;
• Total debt declined 12% year over year to $713.0 million as March 31, 2026, while net debt decreased $119.2 million, or 16%, to $638.9 million over the same period; and
• Mid-point of full-year 2026 guidance for total company adjusted EBITDA maintained within modified range of $212 million to $236 million, reflecting stronger-than-expected results in the Plant Nutrition segment and adjustments related to changes in sales mix and operational matters in the Salt segment.

QUARTERLY FINANCIAL RESULTS

SALT BUSINESS RECAP

Salt revenue for the second quarter decreased 12% year over year to $382.6 million, as a result of 22% lower sales volumes in highway deicing and flat consumer and industrial (C&I) volumes. Highway deicing sales tons made up 87% of total salt sales for the quarter, compared to 90% of prior year's sales volumes. Salt segment pricing increased 10% year over year, with highway deicing pricing up 10% and C&I sales prices down of 3%, respectively, year over year.

Salt segment operating earnings for the quarter decreased by 3% to $65.2 million from the prior-year period. Adjusted EBITDA decreased to $83.2 million, down 3% from the prior-year period. These financial results reflect lower sales volumes between the periods and the pricing dynamics described above, offset by higher per-unit production costs and distribution costs year over year.

For the first half of the year, Salt revenue increased 6% year over year to $714.1 million. Highway deicing revenue increased 6% from the comparable prior year period, driven by 8% higher pricing offset by a 2% decrease in sales volumes. C&I revenue for the same period also increased 6%, driven by a 7% increase in sales volumes offset by a 1% decrease in pricing.

In the first half of 2026, Salt segment operating earnings for the quarter increased by 19% to $114.3 million compared to the first half of 2025. For the same period, adjusted EBITDA increased 13% to $150.4 million. These results reflect the stronger deicing season experienced in 2025/2026 in the company's served markets, which drove higher sales volumes between the periods, and improved pricing. Stronger sales were partially offset by higher per-unit production costs and distribution costs year over year. The regional mix of sales volumes impacted cost comparability between periods due to different cost structures across the company's production facilities and storage depots.

PLANT NUTRITION BUSINESS RECAP

Plant Nutrition revenue for the quarter totaled $67.0 million, up 15% year over year on 4% stronger sales volume over the same period. The average segment sales price for the quarter was up 10% year over year to approximately $690 per ton.

Operating earnings in the Plant Nutrition segment were $7.6 million for the quarter, compared to an operating loss of $1.8 million in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA improved to $16.9 million versus $5.6 million last year. These financial results reflect higher sales volumes and higher average sales prices. Both product costs and distribution costs were down on a per-unit basis year over year.

The Company completed the sale of its sulfate of potash (SOP) business in Wynyard, Saskatchewan, Canada, on March 1, 2026, for total consideration of $30.8 million prior to customary closing adjustments, $3.9 million of which was placed in escrow. Compass Minerals recognized a non-cash loss on the sale of $14.6 million, including $13.1 million of cumulative foreign currency translation adjustments reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss.

CASH FLOW AND FINANCIAL POSITION

Net cash provided by operating activities amounted to $160.4 million for the six months ended March 31, 2026, compared to $182.8 million in the prior year. Changes in working capital reflect the settlement of the previously disclosed tax dispute in Ontario during the first quarter of 2026.

Net cash used in investing activities was $18.6 million for the six months ended March 31, 2026, a decrease from $35.9 million used in the prior year. Total capital spending for the six months ended March 31, 2026, was $41.0 million compared to $35.8 million in 2025. The company received $23.2 million of cash proceeds, net of amounts held in escrow and customary closing adjustments related to the aforementioned sale of the Wynyard SOP business.

Net cash used in financing activities was $127.3 million for the six months ended March 31, 2026, which included net payments of $120.8 million, inclusive of the redemption of the $150 million in 2027 Senior Unsecured Notes in March of 2026. In the prior year, net cash used in financing activities was $116.8 million and reflected net payments of $109.8 million in the period.

The company ended the quarter with $378.9 million of liquidity, comprised of $74.1 million in cash and cash equivalents and $304.8 million of availability under its $325.0 million revolving credit facility.

Total debt as of March 31, 2026, was $713.0 million compared to $807.6 million a year earlier. Net debt was $638.9 million at the end of the second quarter of 2026, down $119.2 million from $758.1 million at the end of the comparable prior year period. The net leverage ratio for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, was 2.7 times, down from 4.6 times for the comparable prior year period.

UPDATED OPERATING AND FISCAL 2026 OUTLOOK

Based on stronger-than-expected results in the Plant Nutrition segment and adjustments related to changes in sales mix and operational matters in the Salt segment, Compass Minerals is updating its previously issued full-year fiscal 2026 outlook as follows:

Projected Corporate and Other results shown in the table above include corporate expenses in support of our core businesses and the results of DeepStore, the company's records management business in the U.K.

Guidance for the 2026 effective income tax rate reflects the income mix by country with income recognized in foreign jurisdictions offset by losses recognized in the U.S.

CONFERENCE CALL

Compass Minerals will discuss its results on a conference call tomorrow morning, Thursday, May 7, at 9:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. CT). To access the conference call, please visit the company’s website at investors.compassminerals.com or dial 800-715-9871. Callers must provide the conference ID number 7896827. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, callers may dial 646-307-1963. Replays of the call will be available on the company’s website.

A supporting company presentation supporting 2026 second-quarter results is available at investors.compassminerals.com.

About Compass Minerals

Compass Minerals (NYSE: CMP) is a leading global provider of essential minerals focused on safely delivering where and when it matters to help solve nature’s challenges for customers and communities. The company’s salt products help keep roadways safe during winter weather and are used in numerous other consumer, industrial, chemical and agricultural applications. Its plant nutrition products help improve the quality and yield of crops while supporting sustainable agriculture. Compass Minerals operates 11 production and packaging facilities with more than 1,800 employees throughout the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Visit compassminerals.com for more information about the company and its products.

Forward-Looking Statements and Other Disclaimers

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements about future costs, production, mutual benefits of our arrangement with the workforce at Goderich, debt reduction, shareholder value, and the company's outlook for 2026, including its expectations regarding sales volumes, revenue, Adjusted EBITDA, depreciation, depletion, and amortization, interest expense, tax rates, and capital expenditures. Forward-looking statements are those that predict or describe future events or trends and that do not relate solely to historical matters. The company uses words such as “may,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “will,” “likely,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “intend,” “plan,” “forecast,” “outlook,” “project,” “estimate” and similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events to identify forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. These statements are based on the company’s current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially. The differences could be caused by a number of factors, including without limitation (i) weather conditions, (ii) inflation, the cost and availability of transportation for the distribution of the company’s products and foreign exchange rates, (iii) pressure on prices and impact from competitive products, and (iv) any inability by the company to successfully implement its strategic priorities or its cost-saving or enterprise optimization initiatives. For further information on these and other risks and uncertainties that may affect the company’s business, see the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended Sept. 30, 2025, and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended Mar. 31, 2026, filed or to be filed with the SEC, as well as the company's other SEC filings. The company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this press release to reflect future events or developments, except as required by law. Because it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors, this list cannot be considered a complete set of all potential risks or uncertainties.

Non-GAAP Measures

In addition to using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) financial measures, management uses a variety of non-GAAP financial measures described below to evaluate the company’s and its operating segments’ performance. While the consolidated financial statements provide an understanding of the company’s overall results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, management analyzes components of the consolidated financial statements to identify certain trends and evaluate specific performance areas.

Management uses EBITDA, EBITDA adjusted for items which management believes are not indicative of the company’s ongoing operating performance (“Adjusted EBITDA”) and EBITDA margin to evaluate the operating performance of the company’s core business operations because its resource allocation, financing methods and cost of capital, and income tax positions are managed at a corporate level, apart from the activities of the operating segments, and the operating facilities are located in different taxing jurisdictions, which can cause considerable variation in net earnings. Management also uses adjusted operating earnings, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net earnings, and adjusted net earnings per diluted share, which eliminate the impact of certain items that management does not consider indicative of underlying operating performance. The presentation of these measures should not be construed as an inference that future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide management and investors with additional information that is helpful when evaluating underlying performance. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA exclude interest expense, income taxes and depreciation, depletion and amortization, each of which is an essential element of the company’s cost structure and cannot be eliminated. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin exclude certain cash and non-cash items, including stock-based compensation, impairment charges and certain restructuring charges. Consequently, any measure that excludes these elements has material limitations. The non-GAAP financial measures used by management should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net earnings, operating earnings, cash flows or other financial data prepared in accordance with GAAP or as a measure of overall profitability or liquidity. These measures are not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies due to potential inconsistencies in the method of calculation. The calculation of non-GAAP financial measures as used by management is set forth in the following tables. All margin numbers are defined as the relevant measure divided by sales. The company does not provide a reconciliation of forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and reported in accordance with GAAP, as the company is unable to estimate significant non-recurring, unusual items and/or distinct non-core initiatives without unreasonable effort. The amounts and timing of these items are uncertain and could be material to the company’s results.

Adjusted operating earnings, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net earnings (loss), adjusted net earnings (loss) per diluted share, net debt and net leverage ratio are presented as supplemental measures of the company’s performance. Management believes these measures provide management and investors with additional information that is helpful when evaluating underlying performance and comparing results on a year-over-year normalized basis. These measures eliminate the impact of certain items that management does not consider indicative of underlying operating performance. These adjustments are itemized below. Adjusted net earnings (loss) per diluted share is adjusted net earnings (loss) divided by weighted average diluted shares outstanding. Net debt is calculated as current and long-term debt minus cash and cash equivalents used to evaluate our financial position. Management defines net leverage ratio as net debt divided by Adjusted EBITDA for the previous twelve-month period ("last twelve months," or "LTM"). You are encouraged to evaluate the adjustments itemized above and the reasons management considers them appropriate for supplemental analysis. In evaluating these measures you should be aware that in the future the company may incur expenses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments presented below.

GAAP