OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 10, 2012--
Compass Minerals (NYSE: CMP) has published its first-quarter 2012
highway deicing sales volume and regional weather data on its website at www.compassminerals.com/marketdata.
In the three months ended March 2012, Compass Minerals sold
approximately 3,104,000 tons of minerals through its highway deicing
business unit compared with sales of 4,278,000 tons in the first quarter
of 2011. Highway deicing sales include all highway maintenance products
sold in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., as well as rock salt sold to the
chemical industry.
According to the U.S. National Weather Service and Environment Canada,
there were 73 snow events in 11 representative cities in the company’s
primary North American highway deicing service area compared to 153
events in the same cities in the first quarter of 2011 and a 10-year
average of 115.5 events.
For the full winter season, which includes the calendar fourth quarter
of 2011 and the calendar first quarter of 2012, there were 89 snow
events in the 11 representative cities, compared to a 10-year average of
161.9 snow events in those same cities. The number of snow events
reported may not directly correlate to Compass Minerals’ deicing results
due to a variety of factors. The weather data is provided without
adjustments to reflect the relative significance to the company of the
cities represented. It should be used only as an indicator of the
year-to-year variations in winter weather conditions in these regions.
“While there were fewer snow events in our primary service area this
season than we’ve seen in at least 15 years, Compass Minerals has
decades of experience managing the effects of winter weather variability
on our business. However, lower demand for highway deicing salt
increases the proportion of lower-value sales to chemical producers,
which can have an impact on our financial results,” explained Angelo
Brisimitzakis, Compass Minerals president and CEO.
Conference Call to Discuss First-Quarter
Financial Results
The company will release its first-quarter 2012 financial results after
the close of the markets on Thursday, April 26, and will discuss its
performance on a conference call on Friday, April 27, at 9:00 a.m. ET.
To access the conference call, interested parties should visit the
company’s website at www.CompassMinerals.com
or dial (877) 614-0009. Callers must provide the conference ID number
9016744. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, callers may dial (913)
643-4075. Replays of the call will be available on the company’s website
for two weeks. The replay can also be accessed by phone for seven days
at (888) 203-1112, conference ID 9016744. Outside of the U.S. and
Canada, callers may dial (719) 457-0820.
A summary of the company’s first-quarter performance will also be
available on the company’s website by 9:00 a.m. ET on Friday, April 27,
at www.CompassMinerals.com/Presentation.
About Compass Minerals
Based in the Kansas City metropolitan area, Compass Minerals is a
leading producer of minerals, including salt, sulfate of potash
specialty fertilizer and magnesium chloride. The company provides
highway deicing salt to customers in North America and the United
Kingdom and specialty fertilizer to growers worldwide. Compass Minerals
also produces consumer deicing, water conditioning and pool products,
ingredients used in consumer and commercial foods, and other
mineral-based products for consumer, agricultural and industrial
applications. The company also provides records management services to
businesses throughout the U.K. For more information, visit www.compassminerals.com.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 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 those factors identified in the "Risk Factors"
sections of our Annual and Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q. The
company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking
statements made in this press release to reflect future events or
developments.
Source: Compass Minerals
Compass Minerals
Rodney L. Underdown, 913-344-9395
Chief
Financial Officer
or
Peggy Landon, 913-344-9315
Director
of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications